Viral outbreak in children, TMC for awareness drive

SNS,  SILIGURI. 30 SEPTEMBER 21 : As many more children get hospitalised with fever and acute respiratory infections (ARI) in north Bengal. the Trinamul Congress has said it will conduct an awareness campaign among the people over the need to consult paediatricians immediately if their children are found suffering from fever or breathing problems.

Meanwhile, one more child suffering from ARI died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri in the past 24 hours, sources said.

The Darjeeling district (Plains) TMC chief, Papiya Ghosh, today visited the NBMCH to take stock of the present situation and met officials there.

According to NBMCH doctors, nine children suffering from ARl died in the last few days.

It is learnt that in September 2019, 29 children had died of pneumonia and five of asthma while eight had died of pneumonia in September in 2020 at the NBMCH.

"Reports of the rising fever cases have left people worried, and some children have also died.  I met NBMCH superintendent Dr Sanjay Mallik and dean of student affairs Dr Sandip Sengupta today, as I felt it was necessary to understand the situation. We have decided to launch an extensive awareness campaign among the people to tell them that children suffering from fever and ARI or other diseases at home should be brought under medical attention immediately. We should not lose the golden hour of treatment. The campaign will be launched from the grassroots level in our party also," Ms Ghosh said.

Sources said the NBMCH authorities told her that many children were referred to the hospital at the terminal stages, when doctors had nothing much to do, and that many were admitted with pre-existing co-morbidities.

Ms Ghosh, who took charge as the district party president more than a month ago, said the NBMCH had adequate infrastructure for the treatment of children.

Meanwhile, 27 children have been admitted in the paediatric ward in the NBMCH in the past 24 hours. Among them, 10 children are suffering from fever and ARI, sources said. A total of 56 children suffering from the same diseases are currently undergoing treatment in the NBMCH.

An eight-month-old child from Rajganj in Jalpaiguri district, who had been admitted in the NBMCH on 26 September, died there, sources said. The sources added that four children suffering from preterm, low birth weight, low birth and asphyxia died there in the past 24 hours.

Paediatric Covid HDU

The paediatric department will prepare a weekly Covid team for round-the-clock management of peaditaric Covid cases in a 10-bed Covid high dependency unit (HDU).

NBMCH authorities are augmenting beds to cater to more children in the wake of the rising fever cases.

An order issued by the NBMCH superintendent, Dr Sanjay Mallik, today said the paediatric Covid patients will be admitted from the Covid clinic. The floor duty of the HDU will be performed by the house staff and post-graduate students designated by the head of the department of paediatrics.

The order says that on-duty doctors and nursing staff will be responsible for the telephonic communication with the families of the children, in addition to their usual clinical responsibilities.

The death and discharge certificates will be prepared by the doctor on floor duty, while for the death certificates there will be countersignatures of the resident medical officer on duty, paeditaric medicine. As per the order, the nursing superintendent will ensure the deployment of adequate nursing personnel for smooth running of the HDU.