Spike in viral infections among children, doctors call for precautionary measures

Private hospitals report sharp increase in the number of children reporting symptoms of fever, cold, cough and conjunctivitis; govt. doctors say there is no rise in infections

Post-rain, doctors, especially in private hospitals, are seeing a number of children with various viral infections in Chennai. There are cases of fever, cold and cough, diarrhoea and vomiting as well as dengue and conjunctivitis in children.

A private paediatric consultant said that he was mostly seeing children reporting viral illnesses such as cold, cough, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea and vomiting as well as fever. “During the rain, the number of such cases decreases. But we can expect more cases after the rain. We can expect an increase in viral illnesses such as common cold, flu and diarrhoea in the forthcoming weeks,” he said. He was also seeing cases of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Janani Sankar, deputy medical director, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, said there was a rise in number of children with dengue. “The number of cases have gone up in the last two weeks after the bout of rain. Earlier, if we saw 10 children, two tested positive for dengue. Now, six to seven children out of 10 are diagnosed with dengue at the hospital. All of them are stable and responding to fluids well,” she said.

She raised the need to keep houses and surroundings free of mosquito breeding. Several children are reporting symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea as well. “These are cases of gastroenteritis and typhoid. It is important for children to have safe drinking water and avoid eating raw food from outside,” she said.

Deepa Easow, senior consultant, Department of Paediatrics, MGM Healthcare, said there was a slight increase in cases of diarrhoea. “If we see 10 to 15 children, five to six of them have diarrhoea,” she said.

She said there were several cases of conjunctivitis in children. “This is highly contagious. It spreads easily within households when towels and bedsheets are shared. It is important to isolate children with symptoms such as red eyes, sticky discharge and keep them away from schools. One of the most important things is avoiding self-medication such as eye drops as it could be dangerous. It is important to consult a paediatrician or ophthalmologist,” she said.

At the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, doctors were not seeing any rising trend in infections. “We are seeing the usual pattern of children coming in with cold and cough. We do not have any spurt in cases, and in fact, are seeing a drop in dengue cases after the rain,” a senior doctor said.