Adenovirus deaths rise in West Bengal; see symptoms, transmission and other details here
3 min read 10 Mar 2023, 04:04 PM ISTChief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday said 19 people have so far died due to Adenovirus, including six children, who lost lives after being infected by adenovirus. However, reports have claimed of 48 deaths in just 11 days.
PremiumAdenovirus is causing major concerns in the state of West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday said 19 people have so far died due to Adenovirus, including six children, who lost lives after being infected by adenovirus. She also urged people to start using face masks again to combat the menace.
Amid the rising number of child deaths, the state’s health department has also cancelled leaves of all its staffers, an official told PTI. The department, in a notification also said that, “All are to be present at their stations considering the present situation in the state. Fever clinics are to be kept functioning on 24X7 basis."
However, as per IANS report, there have been claims of 48 deaths in just 11 days. Whereas general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors, Dr Manas Gumta has alleged that the West Bengal government "underreported" the number of deaths caused by infection of the virus.
The doctor also raised concerns and said that the situation has now turned serious. "All the children are not getting beds in the hospital. CCU is not available to them, the overall situation has turned serious now," he told news agency ANI. He further claimed that the reports of deaths that we have now (Not of the government), over 100 children have already died. This means the situation has become tensed now."
He said that out of 6-7 pediatric deaths, 30 per cent showed Adenovirus symptoms.
Slamming the Bengal government, Dr Gumta also said that the preparations, done by the West Bengal government to tackle the spread of Adenovirus are inadequate and that it has not learned a lesson from Covid.
"Adenovirus has come after Covid, and the government has still not apprised us regarding preparations which are leading to children getting infected and scores of deaths," he added.
The BJP in Bengal staged a protest in the state assembly accusing the the state government of not doing enough to check the spread of Adenovirus that left several children dead. Talking to reporters, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, "We wanted a discussion in the House on Adenovirus. It was not allowed, and so we had to resort to protests. The state had been trying to hide facts and figures about the number of cases and deaths."
Adenovirus Transmission
As per the US National Library of Medicine, even for children who have previously been healthy, adenovirus can be a “serious, life-threatening" condition. Adenoviruses can be transmitted from one person to another via touching or shaking hands, or by coughing and sneezing into the air.
It can also be spread by contacting an infected object or surface, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Certain adenoviruses can be transferred through a person's stool, such as when changing a baby's diaper. Although less frequent, adenovirus can also spread through water, such as swimming pools.
Adenovirus Symptoms
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. Other symptoms include: Common cold or flu-like symptoms, fever, sore throat, acute bronchitis (inflammation of the airways of the lungs, sometimes called a “chest cold", Pink eye (conjunctivitis), inflammation of the stomach or intestines causing diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.
Bladder inflammation or infection and neurologic disease (conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord) are also some of less common symptoms.
Adenovirus Prevention
To stop the spread of Adenovirus, Dr Manas Gumta has advised that Covid-appropriate behaviour would be helpful in stopping its spread. "The same precautions we took during Covid, like wearing face masks, washing hands with soap at regular intervals, avoiding crowded places, etc, are needed to prevent Adenovirus also," he said.
Adenovirus Treatment
As per US CDC, there are no approved antiviral medicines and no specific treatment for people with adenovirus infection. Most adenovirus infections are mild and may be managed with rest and over-the-counter pain medicines or fever reducers to help relieve symptoms.
(With inputs from agencies)
