7-day-old baby tests positive for dengue at Jalandhar's PIMS

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 14

In a rare case, a 7-day-old child has been diagnosed with dengue at the PIMS Hospital.

Brought to the hospital with severe rashes and pus points in the neck, the baby tested positive for dengue. After several days of treatment, the baby was discharged on Wednesday. Doctors said it was the first time that horizontal (directly caused by mosquito bite to child) dengue infection had been diagnosed in an infant as it was usually seen in elder children and mostly adults.

They said a horizontal infection is still rarer in days’ old babies. Throughout the treatment, the mother tested negative for dengue.

Dr Jatinder Singh, neo-natologist at PIMS Hospital, said: “This is an extremely rare case. The baby was brought to us six days ago with severe infection. While the child was delivered at a private hospital, he developed severe infection within days of his birth. The platelet count of the child kept fluctuating between 55,000 and 20,000. At final count he had only 20,000 platelets, which is very less. So, we ran dengue tests and he was found dengue positive. The mother and child were discharged today. The baby has now recovered and is healthy.”

Dr Singh said: “This case sets a benchmark of sorts because anyone can be affected by dengue. A horizontal infection in a baby is a very rare things to see. This also accentuates the dangers which can be posed by dengue. People should take adequate precaution and protect their children and loved ones during dengue season.”

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