KOLKATA: Five children have died in West Bengal due to respiratory infections in different hospitals in the city in the last 24 hours fuelling fears of growing incidences of Adenovirus in the state, a health department official said on Tuesday. Doctors are, however, unsure whether the deaths were due to the infection.
In children, Adenovirus usually cause infections in the respiratory and intestinal tracts.
Children between ages 0-2 years are considered most vulnerable to the infection, 2-5 years vulnerable and 5-10 years have chances of being infected, doctors said. Older children above 10 years are less susceptible to the virus, they said adding precautions should be taken as most of the cases are manageable and treatable at home.
Out of the five children, two were undergoing treatment at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital while three others were treated at the Dr B C Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences, he said.
"All of the five children died due to pneumonia. We are still waiting for the test report on a nine-month-old to confirm whether she died due to Adenovirus or not," the official told PTI.
Two infants died in government hospitals in Kolkata due to respiratory infection, a health official said on Tuesday.
A nine-month-old baby from Chandernagore in neighbouring Hooghly district died at the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, while another child died at the Dr B C Roy Postgraduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences, he said.
Both deaths were reported on Monday, the official said, adding that the cases were referred from hospitals in other districts.
Since Saturday, three deaths have been reported in the state, out of which one was due to Adenovirus infection.