Twitter
Advertisement

In Pune worried parents rush kids with cold to hospitals

Long queues, anxious parents, sneezing and coughing wards and pleading for hospitalizing children for a runny nose or minor fever.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Long queues, anxious parents, sneezing and coughing wards and pleading for hospitalizing children for a runny nose or minor fever. The city pediatricians are finding it a tough job to convince the unnecessarily worried parents that their wards are suffering from common cold or seasonal flu and do not need any special treatment for H1N1.

Nigdi-based Dr RB Kadam said 200-odd parents visit his hospital daily, out of which an average of 25 parents request for H1N1 vaccination. “I have seen only two children who actually had H1N1 viral infection. In most cases, parents assume any common cold, cough or fever is swine flu. While their panic is understandable as deaths are being reported, the queues at clinics have got really long,” he said.

While requests for vaccination have shot up, parents are pro-actively seeking to admit their children to hospitals if they have flu.

“These days parents don’t want to take a chance. If they see flu symptoms or feel the child is not looking good after treatment, they insist on hospitalising the kid. I have counselled many such parents not to worry and take home-based treatment. Even if they request, we cannot admit the child until we feel the need to do so,” said pediatrician Dr Dhananjay Kashikar, president of Pune chapter of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP).

Doctors say parents have come rushing with children after close relatives were diagnosed with H1N1. “Though the reaction of parents is natural, I have seen cases where parents insist on H1N1 tests or admissions for their wards when their relatives have got swine flu,” said pediatrician Dr Sanjay Bafna.

On a daily basis, he said 10 to 12 children get influenza vaccination.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement