Mumbai: Respiratory illnesses among kids on rise

Viral pneumonia is a lung infection caused by viruses such as influenza. Representation Pic

Private paediatricians in Mumbai and neighbouring areas have been noticing an increase in respiratory illnesses among children. Dr Ankit Gupta, a paediatric critical care specialist at Wockhardt Hospital at Mira Road, said that the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit is seeing a high number of cases involving children under the age of three, especially those under six months old, who have been admitted with viral pneumonia, a lung infection caused by viruses such as influenza, which infect the lungs and lead to inflammation.

In the past month alone, over 100 children with various symptoms have visited the OPD of Wockhardt at Mira Road. Dr Pramod Padwal, head of the women and child department at Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, said, "We do not have a separate age-wise column for the data we receive from private hospitals, so we can't confirm any increase. At least in municipal corporation facilities, we have not noticed any trend in viral pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs caused by all viruses, not just those that cause pneumonia)."

Dr Padwal, an infectious disease specialist, said, "The government is planning to introduce a system where private hospitals will have to provide us with detailed data on health conditions." Paediatrician Dr Deepak Ugra, who practises at Lilavati Hospital and Hinduja Hospital in Khar, said, "There is an increase in the number of children coming to the hospital, but most cases are on an OPD basis."

Dr Ugra has noticed some cases of viral pneumonia. "They present with breathing problems and severe wheezing," he said. He sees about 30 patients a day, out of which at least 10 complain of breathing problems. Dr Shakuntala Prabhu, a professor and paediatrician at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, said, "During the monsoon, we always see cases of cold, cough, and fever, especially in children due to variations in temperature and humidity. There has been an increase of around 10 to 15 per cent this year."