Cases of viral fever among children are going up across several Indian states. The findings, so far, suggest that the reasons behind the fever vary across regions.
While Uttar Pradesh is struggling with dengue, officials from Bihar, Noida and Delhi are diagnosing higher cases of seasonal influenza-like infections apart from dengue, malaria, swine flu and typhoid.
At All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, paediatricians are also finding cases of influenza pneumonia. In UP, the government team has also come across instances of bacterial infections: scrub typhus and leptospirosis.
These illnesses, according to the medical experts, are proving fatal for children who are either newly born, have an underlying health condition, or are malnourished. Other children are responding well to the available treatments.
According to the ministry of health and family welfare, mosquito-borne diseases, otherwise, are on the rise across the country due to the monsoon season.
“We must have adequate preparation to fight dengue and malaria, apart from Covid, as these cases are on the rise and also because of the monsoon season. We must cover ourselves and use mosquito repellent, mosquito nets and should not allow mosquitoes to breed,” Dr VK Paul, chairman of Niti Aayog, said on Thursday in a press briefing.
News18.com takes a look at the reasons behind the surge in viral fever cases across three states.
Uttar Pradesh
On Thursday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) confirmed that it has found the D2 strain of dengue in samples from several districts of Uttar Pradesh.
This strain can cause haemorrhage, which can be deadlier, and it also leads to a fall in the platelet count.
“The only prevention is to stop the breeding of mosquitoes. Dengue is also a deadly disease,” Dr Balram Bhargava, director general of ICMR, said in the press briefing.
According to the union health ministry, the dengue outbreak was reported from Firozabad, Mathura and Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
The central team visiting Firozabad also found cases of scrub typhus and leptospirosis.
Bihar
In Bihar, the state health authorities understand that it’s a regular viral fever but with an abnormal spike in the number of cases this year.
“It is right that the cases of viral fever are abnormally high this year. However, there is no mortality related to it and children are responding well to the treatment. We have recorded two deaths from the Gopalganj area where families delayed the admission of children in hospital,” Sanjay Kumar Singh, special secretary of the state health society in Bihar, told News18. “From Muzaffarpur, 30 cases have been reported, whereas in Patna Medical College and Hospital, 13 cases are there. In Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, there are around 18 cases.”
According to another government official in Bihar’s health department, the cases of viral fever are at least 20 per cent more than other years.
Delhi
Several children are being rushed to hospitals with complaints of cold, cough, fever, loose stools, difficulty in breathing and other symptoms in Delhi.
“The cases of viral infections are more this year. They are getting combined with the regular monsoon-related outbreaks such as dengue, H1N1, malaria, apart from Covid-19. We have been seeing a spike in viral fever among kids since July,” said Dr Dinesh Raj, senior consultant and paediatrician at Holy Family Hospital, New Delhi.
“The OPD consultations have spiked by 50 per cent this year in comparison to last year, during monsoon months. Children within the 2-7 age group are affected more with illnesses such as influenza, respiratory tract infection and gastrointestinal infections,” he said while adding that the majority of the children get well without the need for hospitalisation.
A paediatrician at AIIMS said that they have diagnosed children with “influenza-positive pneumonia”.
“This is also a viral infection where children face difficulty in breathing. We have been sending samples for H1N1, Covid-19, dengue and malaria apart from influenza-positive pneumonia now for most of the cases,” said the specialist.
The doctor added that these children respond well to the nebulizer-based treatment and the illness is not fatal.
Noida
Cases are also being reported from Noida in Uttar Pradesh, adjacent to Delhi.
According to media reports, the state is also reporting a mix of viral fever, swine flu and dengue cases.
“We are in the midst of an outbreak of viral fevers,” Dr Nitin Verma, director, general paediatrics, Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, told NDTV. “We are getting a lot of viral fever cases in children. Almost 25 per cent of our OPDs consist of children coming down with fever commonly with symptoms like cold, cough and fever. There are simple viruses and in a few cases of H3N2 which is a form of swine flu we are also getting that.”
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