Hospitals in Darjeeling district asked to take precaution against Adenovirus

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, MARCH 2/--/District health officials of Darjeeling on Thursday in a meeting in Siliguri decided upon the precautionary measures to betaken to prevent Adenovirus outbreak in accordance with an advisory by the West Bengal Health Department. 

Pediatrician and Medical Officer of Siliguri District Hospital Dr Ranjeet Bhagat said that the meeting was held by the Chief Medical Officer Health of Darjeeling with all health officials from Kurseong, Siliguri and Superintendent of Siliguri District Hospital Dr Chandan Ghosh and other medical officials. 

Doctors treating the patients, especially neonatal babies, were advised and given the guidelines for the management protocol for children with fever and respiratory symptoms. 

Medical officers of government and private hospitals across north Bengal will have to operate Pediatric ARI Clinics round-the-clock, make separate Pediatric ARI Clinics at the OPDs and keep ready ventilators and other logistics, as advised during the meeting by the CMOH, Darjeeling. 

Dr Bhagat said the danger signs and criteria for hospitalization were if the fever persisted with the child for three to four days, the breathing was fast and laborious, there was decrease in oral intake, oxygen intake was 92 percent in room air, urine output was more than five times a day and there were extra pulmonary manifestations. 

Other supportive care, including adequate hydration and feeding, ORS for diarrhea and monitoring of temperature were also advised to the doctors during the meeting. Dr Bhagat said: “There is no need to panic, precaution is better than care. 

School children should wear mask compulsory and all other precautions used during Covid- 19 will have to be applied but the situation is not alarming or dangerous.