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Viral fever grips children in India: What is it and how can kids be protected | An explainer

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 9/22/2021 8:01:20 AM

New Delhi, Sep 21 Deaths among children due to a mysterious viral fever have been reported from Firozabad and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh for over a month now. Of the number of cases of fever being reported from Uttar Pradesh, more than 100 have died in one month alone. Fever cases are also being reported from other districts of UP - Kanpur, Prayagraj and Ghaziabad. So, is the viral fever restricted to UP? No. Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have also reported fever outbreaks in children, though deaths have not occurred in these states. Normally, it is noted that children get 6-8 respiratory infections in a year. The fact that children are exposed to the outside world since the Covid-19 lockdown has been lifted is quite the reason for any infection to spread. The second reason is stale food and unclean water as well that is leading to vector borne transmission, according to experts. A wide variety of viral infections ranging from influenza, dengue, chikungunya to scrub typhus have been infecting children since August. Experts say the season post Monsoon is to blame when vector borne diseases like dengue, chinkungunya and malaria are rampant.