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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued a cautionary advisory to the West Bengal health department concerning the prevalence of a severe variant of adenovirus among children in Kolkata and neighboring districts. This alert comes in the wake of recent findings from the ICMR-affiliated National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), following sample testing for adenovirus.
Out of the 3,115 individuals tested, 1,257 were found positive for adenovirus, with 40 cases detected of the deadly variant, predominantly affecting children. A senior official from the state health department confirmed the receipt of the alert and assured that necessary precautions are being undertaken to address any potential emergency.
The surge in adenovirus cases has raised concerns in West Bengal at the onset of the current fiscal year of 2023. State health department records indicate around 1,200 positive cases of adenovirus between the end of December 2022 and March 2023, predominantly among children. During this period, the reported death toll attributed to adenovirus stood at 19.
However, controversy surrounded the accuracy of these figures as doctors’ associations accused the state health department of underreporting the death toll due to adenovirus.
In response to the situation, the state government had previously established an eight-member task force to oversee cases of adenovirus-affected individuals and ensure their appropriate medical treatment. The recent cautionary alert from ICMR highlights the ongoing concerns and efforts to address the spread of the severe adenovirus variant, particularly among children, necessitating stringent preventive measures and enhanced medical monitoring to curb its impact.
