West Bengal has registered a total of 12,000 cases of Adenovirus from January 2023 to March, according to a report in Guardian. Nineteen children have died and several remain hospitalised owing to the highly contagious disease that now threatens the vulnerable-especially children.
According to official documents, more than 12,000 cases of adenovirus have been recorded in the state since January. More than 3,000 children have been admitted to hospital with severe flu-like symptoms.
The Association of Health Service Doctors warns that the numbers of deaths and cases are likely to be much higher than official statistics, the Guardian reported.
Last week, more than 100 families who had travelled with sick children from villages and towns across the state were camped inside the grounds of BC Roy children’s hospital in Kolkata, waiting for news from doctors.
On Sunday, the Mamata Bannerjee led- West Bengal government formed an eight-member taskforce to monitor cases and treatment. Doctors who spoke to the Guardian said one reason for the high volume of cases among young children, is because they were not able to build immunity to common infections during Covid lockdowns.
According to CDC, Adenoviruses can cause mild to severe illness, though serious illness is less common. People with weakened immune systems, or existing respiratory or cardiac disease, are at higher risk of developing severe illness from an adenovirus infection.
-Common cold or flu-like symptoms
-Fever
-Sore throat
-Acute bronchitis (inflammation of the airways of the lungs, sometimes called a “chest cold")
-Pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
-Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
-Acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach or intestines causing diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain)
-Bladder inflammation or infection
-Neurologic disease (conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord)
Adenoviruses is a contagious disease and can spread from the infected person via
-Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
-The air by coughing and sneezing
-Touching an object or surface with adenoviruses on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
Some adenoviruses can spread through an infected person’s stool, for example, during diaper changing. Adenovirus can also spread through the water, such as swimming pools, but this is less common.
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