One more diphtheria death reported in Delhi, toll now 26

HEALTH RISK Doctors blame lack of vaccination, delay in treatment, humid weather, misinformation for rise in cases

NEWDELHI: One more death due to diphtheria was reported at a civic hospital in north Delhi, taking the toll from the infection in the city over the last month to 26, officials said on Sunday.

Over the last month, a total of 25 children died due to diphtheria at the North Delhi Municipal Corporation(north Mcd)-run Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases (MVID) Hospital, while one child died at the-state run Lok Nayak Hospital. Doctors said all these children were less than nineyears-old.

Officials familiar with the cases said doctors found that the heart, kidneys and nervous system of children were not functioning properly when they were brought to the hospital.

“The problem is that parents often misunderstand the disease as usual cough and cold and take medicines from a physician. Since the child has not been given diphtheria shots, with the passage of time, the toxin released from the bacteria starts hampering the functioning of kidney, heart and nervous system,” said Dr Arun Yadav, director, hospital administration, North MCD.

During the civic body’s house meeting last week, councillors said the primary reason for the rapidly increasing death toll was delay in the procurement of lifesaving anti-toxins.

Doctors at MVID Hospital, meanwhile, said, “Lack of vaccination, partial vaccination, delay in proper treatment, misinformation and illiteracy are among the main reasons responsible for the increasing number of cases.”

DELAY IN TREATMENT

Doctors said one thing common in most cases was that patients were coming in 7-8 days after showing symptoms, by which time toxins had already affected their heart and nerves. “The antidiphtheria serum does not work after that. If the child gets the anti-diphtheria serum in the first 3-4 days, then the situation can easily be controlled. But after 7-8 days, the patient’s condition becomes critical,” said Yadav.

LACK OF VACCINATION

Officials said that in several cases parents claimed their children had been immunised. A senior doctor said these children got infected as they were not “fully immunised”. “They must not have completed the course of vaccines. Also, during the rainy season, bacteria grow at a rapid speed which results in an increase in number of cases,” doctors said.

THE RAPID SPREAD

Diphtheria is highly contagious and spreads easily from one child to another, doctors said. “If an infected child sneezes and microdroplets of his sputum fall on any surface, they can infect other children that come in contact with them,” said Yadav.

Officials from the North MCD said most of the children who have died hail from western UP, especially in and around Muzaffarnagar district, and parts of Haryana. “Most of these kids come from the same region. It means there is a common trend somewhere. Most of the families said the children were not administered the vaccination,” a doctor at the MVIDS Hospital said.

“The main concern is why these children were not immunised. Under the government’s Universal Immunisation Programme, all children below one are supposed to get three doses of the Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP] vaccine, followed by two booster doses between 1-2 years and 5-6 years. This clearly did not happen,” said Dr DK Seth, a physician, who is also a consultant for the civic body. He added that families of children who exhibit symptoms must consult a doctor at the earliest. Majority of cases in Delhi have been coming from areas in western Uttar Pradesh, doctors said