On Sunday, officials said, more than 1,200 children were admitted to the Burdwan Medical College in West Bengal in the last one month with acute respiratory problems, and nine of them have died.

The doctors claimed that the fever and cough leading to breathing problems are a result of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and has nothing to do with COVID, the huge number of affected children has become a cause of worry for the district health administration.

“We have tested all the children and all of them have been detected COVID negative," the Medical College's Head of the Paediatric Department, Kaustav Nayek said.

Nayek reported, all the children who are getting affected are below one year old and the children who are below six months are the most vulnerable to the disease.

According to the doctors, the patient affected by RSV will have a cough and cold in the first two days and then they will develop breathing problems, and, in some cases, it turns out to be serious.

"If the child is more than one year then there is nothing to worry about but the children who are below six months are the most vulnerable in this disease and so we have asked that a neo-natal ward be opened so that these cases can be treated separately and with care," a Health Department official said.

The state Health Department is keeping a close watch on the development of the situation and has asked the hospital authorities to send daily updates on the infection rate, the treatment protocol, and condition of the children.








Source: The Sentinel