West Bengal sets up expert committee as pneumonia claims life of Cooch Behar kid

A sudden spike in paediatric cases in north Bengal, with most children complaining of fever and respiratory trouble, has triggered a panic of some virus outbreak, prompting the West Bengal health department to set up an expert team to monitor all such cases across the state. The team comprises deputy health secretary Ajay Chakraborty, two pediatricians, three medical specialists, a virologist from the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and a public health specialist. “On Monday an expert committee had visited the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. They suggested tests for dengue, chikungunya, scrub typhus, Japanese encephalitis and COVID-19. Only one child tested positive for COVID-19. We suspect it is some kind of a respiratory virus. Further investigation is going on,” said a senior health official. Earlier on Tuesday, at least 130 children were admitted to Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital with high fever and dysentery. Three of them were later shifted to North Bengal Medical College as their condition worsened. In the early hours of Wednesday, one child from Cooch Behar district died due to pneumonia and pleural effusion. Meanwhile, 42 children were discharged from Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital. Dr Subir Bhowmick, head of the pediatric department of Siliguri district hospital and president, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Siliguri branch, said 70 children admitted in the pediatric wards are currently undergoing treatment there. “The condition of Siliguri district hospital is the worst. There are 24 sick newborn care units in the district hospital. The number of daily patients has increased from 200 to 300,” he said. “The child who died was from Mekhliganj, Cooch Behar district, and was brought to the hospital in quite a critical condition. He died due to pneumonia and pleural effusion. He was six years old and had congenital heart disease,” Bhowmick told PTI. In the past four-five days, several children from different parts of Jalpaiguri, mostly aged between one and four years, have been admitted to the hospital with symptoms like fever, cough and cold. Some of them also had diarrhoea. With input from agencies