Life & Health

Puja Budhathoki, mother of a five-and-half-year-old child gave paracetamol to her daughter after she had a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

The paracetamol did not work. So she started giving her Flexon, a combo of paracetamol and brufen. The fever was on and off. She therefore took her daughter to a private hospital in Kathmandu. As the child was suffering from high grade fever, the doctor suggested tests of blood and urine samples.  

“I was asked to collect a report after 72 hours. But I couldn’t wait as the fever was not subsiding in my child,” said Puja Budhathoki, a resident of Sankhamul.

She then took the child to another doctor, who suspected viral infection.

It is not only Puja who is running from pillar to post for treatment of her child but there are many other parents worried about their child or children’s health.  

Out of two children visiting Kanti Children’s Hospital, the only government run children’s hospital in the country, at least one is suffering from fever. According to the hospital records, there are at least 1,500 patients visiting its out-patient department and emergency on a daily basis.

Of them, 750 are visiting the hospital with fever.

Covid-like symptoms

“Children visiting the hospital have fever and sore throat. Some of them even have conjunctivitis (the condition causes redness, swelling, tearing and discomfort of the eye),” said Dr Yuba Nidhi Basaula, director at Kanti Children’s Hospital.

Fever and sore throat are some of the common symptoms of coronavirus. As the country has been seeing a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the past few weeks, the doctors too are suspecting coronavirus infections in children.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, nine children below the age of 11 were tested Covid positive on July 18 and five on July 19. A total of 51 children aged below 10 have succumbed to the infection till July 19.

The hospital therefore has been conducting antigen tests in the children as the symptoms the children come up in the hospitals with are similar to that of coronavirus.

“Samples taken from the children with fever are tested negative in the antigen tests. We have suspected that the children are suffering from adenovirus,” said Dr Basaula.

Adenovirus infections

Adenovirus belongs to a group of virus that can cause mild to severe infection throughout one’s body, the Centre for Disease Control, USA says.

Following the surge, Kanti Children’s has discussed the issue with the government’s Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, seeking assistance to contain the spread. The EDCD has asked us to send a few samples for testing,” said Basaula.

Adenovirus usually spreads from infected people to others through close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands, and it remains in the air and surfaces when infected people cough, sneeze or touch objects.

Wonder why the virus is spreading so fast?

 “People have stopped wearing masks,” said Dr Baburam Marasini, public health expert. 

With the rising number of cases of fever among children, health experts suggest school owners to stop running the classes for some time as the schools can become a hub for infection spread.

“When there are a larger number of students suffering from fever in a school, the management should at least close the school for at least a week,” said Dr Marasini.

Adenoviruses can cause a wide range of illnesses including common cold- or flu-like symptoms – fever, sore throat, conjunctivitis, acute bronchitis (inflammation of the airways of the lungs), pneumonia (infection of the lungs), diarrhoea, acute gastroenteritis (inflammation

“School kids are more prone to the infection as they don’t wear masks for a long time and spend time with a large peer group,” Marasini said, emphasising the need for increased surveillance and testing.

“Though children generally recover quickly, some of them might be infected with other diseases when they have lower immunity resulting from the viral infection,” he added.

Doctor’s prescriptions:

·       Let them take rest

·       No school if kids have symptoms

·       Frequent hand-washing

·       Covering cough and sneezes

·       Use of masks