Viral pneumonia plaguing kids in Telangana

Hyderabad: Respiratory illnesses in terms of viral infections, cold, cough and viral pneumonia are on the rise in the city. Doctors say that 50 per cent of the cases at children’s hospitals are of viral pneumonia. More than 20 such cases are being reported every day.

Dr Altaf Naseem, a senior paediatrician in the city, explained, “We are seeing one and two-month-old infants to five-year-olds suffering from viral pneumonia, which has seen a massive rise this season compared to last year.”

Niloufer children’s Hospital is also seeing a large number of these cases, more than its bed-strength. Senior paediatrician Dr Lalu Prasad said, “We are seeing an increase of these diseases in small children because they are immune compromised. We are also seeing a lot of mild cases presently but there are a few severe cases which require longer periods of hospitalisation. It is very important to ensure that prevention methods like hand washing, avoiding crowded places when sick, proper intake of fluids and also healthy food patterns are followed, which will help to build immunity against these cases.”

Also, protecting infants from cold winds by keeping them covered, not directly below the fan and also ensuring that they are breast-fed is very important, experts said.

Three-month-old has swine flu
Two people have now tested positive for swine flu in the city. One is a three-month-old child from Bowenpally and the other patient is a 50-year-old man from Bolaram. Officials said the child may have contracted the disease during a recent “shopping trip”.