Pune News : Severe infections due to common viruses rise amongst kids

The effects of the two years of the Covid lockdown, which caused regular immunization to be disrupted, are still noticeable in young children. Common viruses and infections that can be prevented by vaccination send children to neo-natal intensive care units these days.

Children are developing pneumonia and experiencing severe symptoms from viral infections such as the common cold, mumps, rubella, and measles, according to pediatricians at the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP).

At the three-day conference in Pune, more than a thousand pediatricians attended. The doctors’ main topics of discussion were improved child management and the post-pandemic trend of infections.

Physicians also reported that a resurgence of dormant viruses was brought on by a disruption in routine immunization schedule.

According to a pediatrician, common viruses like the adenovirus that causes colds are to blame for an increase in respiratory infections and pneumonia cases that have occurred since the pandemic. The reduction in immunity during the lockdown may be the cause of this. A significant increase in measles, rubella, and mumps cases has also been linked to interruptions in regular immunization schedules.

According to a senior doctor, children are becoming seriously ill due to parents who neglected to vaccinate their children on schedule. Additionally, pneumococcal and mumps vaccinations ought to be mandated by the government.

Doctors also noted an increase in non-communicable disease cases in children. For kids, the two biggest upcoming challenges are diabetes and obesity. Since the symptoms of these comorbidities are nonspecific, diagnosis is challenging. They are preparing teachers to teach kids how to check food pack contents to determine the amount of sodium, sugar, and other artificial preservatives they contain. This could aid in reducing overindulgence in junk food.