Rattled by the alarming spurt in number of unknown fever among children sweeping across the state particularly ahead of the expected Covid-19 third wave, the health department released a standard operating procedure (SOP)
today giving guidelines on treatment protocols for affected patients.
According to the SOP, children showing symptoms of fever with respiratory trouble for more than three days should be admitted to nearby hospitals for immediate treatment. Affected children with oxygen saturation below 90 should also be hospitalized.
They would also be kept away from the elderly persons. It has also advised doctors on how to use life-support systems like oxygen or ventilators considering the condition of the affected children. The SOP has also given guidelines on use of paracetamol on the basis of body weights of the children. For instance, maximum 10 to 15 mg paracetamol could be given on per kg every four hours gap daily for a patient.
Considering the spurt in number of children affected by the unknown fever with respiratory trouble in different districts, mainly in north Bengal, the government has also increased number of beds in paediatric wards in government hospitals.
More than 1,300 cases including 10 deaths caused by unknown fever among children have been reported so far in the state. A ten-member committee comprising experts in different streams like paediatric medicine, chest medicine, virology etc that has been formed by the government prepared the SOP for the treatment protocol of children and newborns down with the unknown fever.
Swab samples of several affected children were tested at the School of Tropical Medicine laboratory on Wednesday. The test reports revealed that the patients were infected by respiratory syncytial virus and influenza B virus – both are common during monsoon.
Doctors have advised taking children showing symptoms of fever for more than five days, cough and cold, breathing trouble, loss of appetite and low urine quantity to hospitals or local clinics for immediate medical consultancy.