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Time of India
08-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Pune hospitals report rise in dengue cases among children
Pune: Hospitals in Pune have started reporting an increase in dengue cases among children following recent heavy rainfall and intermittent showers. Conditions are now ripe for mosquito breeding, experts said, as they warned citizens to ensure there's no waterlogging or stagnant pools near homes and offices. "Dengue is typically seen first in children as they often play outside," said Dr Sagar Lad, a senior neonatologist and pediatric intensivist at Jehangir Hospital and Sahyadri Hospital, Shastrinagar. Dr Lad said he's seen at least three children admitted for dengue this week, with all of them presenting high fever, low platelet counts and rashes. "Until last week, we had no dengue cases, but the intermittent rains may have contributed to mosquito breeding," he said. The affected children, aged 3 to 4 years, have a history of playing outdoors in the evening — the time when the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector for dengue, is most active. According to data released by PMC, 13 suspected dengue cases — positive for the NS1 antigen test in private labs — were recorded in the first seven days of June. This number is significant when compared to previous months - there were 18 cases reported in all of March, 19 in April and 23 in May. Dr Pradeep Suryawanshi, honorary director of the Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Sahyadri Hospitals, told TOI: "We have started seeing dengue cases among children. Two weeks ago we had no cases, but in the last one week, I've had two children test positive. One was managed on an OPD basis while the other needed hospitalization. They had a history of playing outside. They came with rashes and their platelets were low. " Dr Urvi Shukla, director of ICU at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, said: "With instances of waterlogging, sporadic cases of dengue are being reported in adults too over the last 10 days. People must take precautions. If there are vessels collecting water in the house or balcony, they must be removed. If there are water plants at home, the water has to be changed every 3-4 days." As per PMC officials, suspected dengue cases are those that have been NS1 positive in private labs and not confirmed by the National Institute of Virology or by experts at BJ Medical College, by checking IgG and IgM antibodies. But irrespective of where a person has been tested, PMC treats each such case as a dengue case. NS1 is a test that detects presence of a dengue virus protein in the blood. IgG and IgM are antibody tests that help determine if the infection is recent or past, and are typically used for confirmation.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Pune chikungunya study finds worrying effects in children, one infant needed liver transplant
Pune: There were concerning complications seen in children during last year's chikungunya outbreak, including one case which may be the first documented instance of a patient needing a new liver to recover, a study from Pune has now said. The 2024 chikungunya outbreak was one of Maharashtra's worst. Within 11 months, more than 5,000 people were sickened in the state. Pune was among hotspot cities, recording 462 confirmed cases. Now, in a recently released study of 117 children who were hospitalized between June and September 2024 (during the monsoon) doctors from three city hospitals have said their findings suggest the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is likely evolving genetically to cause potentially life-threatening complications, beyond the typical symptoms of fever and joint pain. All the 117 kids recovered, but 36 needed ICU admission. "These children presented with serious neurological issues, respiratory distress and even organ failure that required intensive care," said Dr Sagar Lad, neonatologist and paediatric intensivist at Jehangir Hospital and Sahyadri Hospital (Shastrinagar), and one of the study's authors. The research, recently published in the Journal of Pediatric Critical Care, was conducted by doctors from Jehangir Hospital, Sahyadri Hospital and Shaishav Children's Hospital in Sadashiv Peth. Dr Lad said: "One infant required liver transplantation to survive. To our knowledge, this was the most unusual complication of the infection, causing fulminant hepatic failure. After an extensive search online, we felt it was probably the first case in literature that required liver transplantation followed by successful (chikungunya) recovery." Two children also developed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and potentially fatal immune disorder. Six children went into shock requiring emergency cardiovascular support, the researchers said. Additionally, Dr Lad said over half the children in the ICUs (56%) experienced seizures, with some developing status epilepticus, a medical emergency characterized by prolonged seizure activity — either continuous or recurrent — that can lead to serious complications and potentially even death. The doctors said this meant that some of the children with chikungunya didn't just have ordinary seizures, but developed a more severe, persistent seizure that required urgent medical intervention. The study specifically mentioned both status epilepticus and RSE (refractory status epilepticus) among the neurological complications observed in the 117 children. RSE is an even more serious form of status epilepticus that doesn't respond to standard anti-seizure medications. Such severe manifestations, the doctors added, may be linked to genetic changes in the virus, allowing it to multiply more rapidly and trigger even more complicated health issues than just a fever. "The findings suggest chikungunya, often dismissed as less dangerous than dengue, may be evolving into a more serious threat to public health," said Dr Lad, adding that physicians must remain vigilant for atypical presentations, especially during outbreaks. The other doctors involved in the study included Dr Pradeep Suryawanshi from Sahyadri Hospital and Dr Ashish Dhongade, from Shaishav Children's Hospital.
