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Viral fever: Teams rushed as 4 kids die in Gopalganj in four days
Gopalganj civil surgeon Dr Yogendra Mahto said on Thursday that the exact cause of death in the cases of child patients suffering from viral fever was not conclusive.
Bihar’s health department has dispatched a team of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (ISDP) to affected areas to study the impact of “viral fever” among children which has claimed four lives in Gopalganj district in four days.
Health minister Mangal Pandey tweeted on Thursday that three teams have been sent to Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and Siwan districts. “The teams will conduct a study about conditions of child patients undergoing treatment there and furnish exact information to the health department,” Pandey said in his tweet.
Gopalganj civil surgeon Dr Yogendra Mahto said on Thursday that the exact cause of death in the cases of child patients suffering from viral fever was not conclusive.
“Two child patients admitted to Sadar hospital on Wednesday succumbed to the ailment soon upon arrival in emergency ward. In another case, a child referred from Gopalganj sadar hospital to Muzaffarpur died on Monday. In the latest case as reported on Thursday from Thawe block, another child died during treatment. However, we have learnt that infant was also suffering from malnutrition”, the civil surgeon said.
At Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, all children admitted with symptoms resembling respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) tested negative in antigen test for detection of Covid-19, a hospital official said.
‘It’s an annual feature with negligible morbidity,” said Dr Om Prakash, medical officer in the paediatric ward of DMCH. “We are seeing slight change in pattern. Unlike previous years, this time around, infants less than two months old are also falling prey to viral fever with symptoms of fast breathing and discomfort”.
According to him, the patients look very sick with respiratory distress.”We provide supportive care like maintaining oxygenation, hydration and nutritional aspects of treatment and the illness resolves without further complications”, he added.
