‘Skipping flu shots, less exposure to virus lead to viral pneumonia in kids’

Kolkata: An increasing number of children are being admitted in hospitals across the state with viral pneumonia or similar symptoms. Doctors said that even while a few sporadic cases of viral pneumonia are not unexpected during monsoon, the count at present is quite alarming.

TOI on September 11 had reported on how PICUs (paediatric intensive care units) across government and private hospitals in Kolkata were filling up fast with children suffering from viral pneumonia. The situation is not restricted to city hospitals. According to NRS Medical College associate professor and also paediatric nephrology unit in-charge Biswanath Basu, one of the reasons for the spike could be because most children had given the pneumonia vaccine or the booster dose a miss last year due to the pandemic.

“There could be several factors, including missing influenza shots last year, less exposure to the virus due to more strict adherence to norms like masking and staying indoors during the lockdown, leading to falling immunity against the influenza virus,” said Basu.

Institute of Child Health (ICH) associate professor Prabhas Prasun Giri said similar kind of viral pneumonia outbreaks in children are being witnessed in the UK and the US. Both influenza A and B, RSV, metapneumovirus and parainfluenza virus are causing the problem.

The respiratory viral panel PCR test detects the exact virus. While the cost of the test at institutes like ICH is about Rs 8,000 the same could be close to three times in private hospitals. Doctors said places like NICED that have such facilities should be opened so that samples can be tested free for parents who cannot afford them.

“We are seeing a large number of kids with symptoms of flu like fever and cough. A few of them have required admission. In most of these cases, they have tested positive for other viruses like RSV and influenza,” said Rajesh Kumar Singh, paediatric consultant, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur.