KOLKATA: Covid infection is on the lower side in Bengal but a combination of seasonal viral infections has become a concern for the city doctors. According to doctors, many people including a sizable number of children are getting infected with viral infections with high fever.
A senior doctor of pediatrics in a private children's hospital in Park Circus said that many children are complaining about high fever and it is receding in 4 to 5 days but cough persists for over a week. Some of the children are also experiencing respiratory distress. Many school-going children are affected by the other viral infections.
A combination of seasonal viruses, influenza A, dengue, malaria and swine flu are affecting people across all ages in Kolkata. Upper respiratory tract infection is commonly found in many of the infected patients.It may be mentioned here that there has been a spurt of influenza-like symptoms among the people in the past few weeks with the fluctuating weather contributing towards infection. What is common in them is that if one member of a family is affected with fever, the other family members are also catching fever one after another. Physicians are often in a fix to determine which virus has triggered the ailments, experts said.A senior pathologist in the city, Dr Gopeswar Mukherjee said that viral fever is often triggering high temperatures in patients. Cold sponge can be given within 30 minutes after fever shoots up. The method must be applied in case of children.
When Covid was at its peak the majority of viral infections were Covid but other viral infections are predominant as Covid infection has turned into a mild phase, added Dr Mukherjee.It may be mentioned here that other than viral infections, enteric, typhoid and scrub-typhus cases have also been reported from various pockets. Malaria, which is caused by parasites, triggers high temperatures like that of dengue. Typhoid which is commonly found and caused by bacteria often turns fatal.