<p>While children commonly get respiratory infections from June till September, which also is also the monsoon season, the numbers are much higher this year, say Bengaluru doctors.</p>.<p>Many children are getting back-to-back infections with similar symptoms - fever, cold, cough and body ache. This is possibly because the same child is getting reinfected with multiple viruses - like influenza virus, adenovirus, bocavirus, metapneumovirus, etc, all of which cause similar symptoms, elaborate doctors.</p>.<p>Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, HoD pediatrics at Manipal Hospitals, says, “The same child returns with three to four infections in a month”. Dr Shivaprakash Sosale of Bowring Hospital said, “Suppose I treat a patient now, after 10 days he will return with a similar episode”.</p>.<p>Doctors point to two reasons for the trend - one, children have relatively lower immunity this year since they weren’t exposed to common viruses in the last two-and-half years; second, with school reopening, most children are catching the infections from school. </p>.<p>“Repeat infections continue to damage the respiratory system, which ultimately causes wheezing. In our hospital, children are getting admitted for wheezing, which can be treated with anti-wheezing medication,” says Dr Ravishankar, senior consultant at Sparsh Hospital. “As per the tests done in our hospital, about 80% of cases are due to influenza viruses”.</p>.<p>Dr Sosale says that in Bowring Hospital 10 to 15% of children coming with viral infections go on to develop secondary bacterial infections that result in pneumonia.</p>.<p>He says that the hospital’s pediatric ICU has remained full for about a month now, and the maximum number of cases are of pneumonia and wheezing.</p>.<p>The doctors say that the duration of infections is also longer this year. Dr G V Basavaraja, president of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Bengaluru chapter, says, “These infections usually last two to five days, but now children are taking five to ten days to recover. Also bouts of cough may last longer.” Another concern is that children may take the infections back to vulnerable people at home.</p>.<p>Doctors recommend that parents should keep children off school even if they develop mild infections like cold. “Even if the child appears fine, he or she can spread the infection to others. If children follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and good hygiene at school, it will help reduce other infections. Good nutrition will help improve children’s inherent immunity against these infections,” says Dr Basavaraja.</p>
<p>While children commonly get respiratory infections from June till September, which also is also the monsoon season, the numbers are much higher this year, say Bengaluru doctors.</p>.<p>Many children are getting back-to-back infections with similar symptoms - fever, cold, cough and body ache. This is possibly because the same child is getting reinfected with multiple viruses - like influenza virus, adenovirus, bocavirus, metapneumovirus, etc, all of which cause similar symptoms, elaborate doctors.</p>.<p>Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, HoD pediatrics at Manipal Hospitals, says, “The same child returns with three to four infections in a month”. Dr Shivaprakash Sosale of Bowring Hospital said, “Suppose I treat a patient now, after 10 days he will return with a similar episode”.</p>.<p>Doctors point to two reasons for the trend - one, children have relatively lower immunity this year since they weren’t exposed to common viruses in the last two-and-half years; second, with school reopening, most children are catching the infections from school. </p>.<p>“Repeat infections continue to damage the respiratory system, which ultimately causes wheezing. In our hospital, children are getting admitted for wheezing, which can be treated with anti-wheezing medication,” says Dr Ravishankar, senior consultant at Sparsh Hospital. “As per the tests done in our hospital, about 80% of cases are due to influenza viruses”.</p>.<p>Dr Sosale says that in Bowring Hospital 10 to 15% of children coming with viral infections go on to develop secondary bacterial infections that result in pneumonia.</p>.<p>He says that the hospital’s pediatric ICU has remained full for about a month now, and the maximum number of cases are of pneumonia and wheezing.</p>.<p>The doctors say that the duration of infections is also longer this year. Dr G V Basavaraja, president of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Bengaluru chapter, says, “These infections usually last two to five days, but now children are taking five to ten days to recover. Also bouts of cough may last longer.” Another concern is that children may take the infections back to vulnerable people at home.</p>.<p>Doctors recommend that parents should keep children off school even if they develop mild infections like cold. “Even if the child appears fine, he or she can spread the infection to others. If children follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and good hygiene at school, it will help reduce other infections. Good nutrition will help improve children’s inherent immunity against these infections,” says Dr Basavaraja.</p>