Chennai: Following the rise in the number of children affected by viral flu in Karnataka, the state health department is closely monitoring the developments in as many as 12 districts including Bengaluru. The rise in viral flu cases came amid the fears that children would be most affected during the third wave of Covi-19 infection. 


Children with symptoms like cold, cough, fever and breathing issues were admitted to hospitals in the state for the past 15 days. Even though health experts dismiss it as the normal viral flu which is common during the rainy seasons, the health department seems to be worried about the condition.


Most of the flu cases were reported from Bellary, Yadgir, Chikkaballapur and Chitradurge districts of Karnataka. However, flu cases were also reported from Raichur, Bidar, Ramnagar, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalburgi and Bagalkot districts, the report added.


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Pointing out that consultations at pediatric hospitals are rising in the past couple of weeks in these districts, the report said that beds at one of the government hospitals in Bengaluru -- KC General hospital -- were filled with children affected with cold, cough, fever and breathing issues.


Quoting Dr Lakshmipathy, head of pediatric division in KC General hospital, children aged between one and three years are found with these symptoms and not the school going children. All the children who are suffering from breathing issues are subjected to RT-PCR tests and no one had turned positive for Covid-19 infection.


Explaining that both the district and taluk hospitals were seeing a rise in number of children affected by viral infection, the report said that at least 150 to 200 children are treated for the infection in each of the district hospitals and at least 50 to 60 children are admitted to the hospitals for treatment. 


Meanwhile, the report said that the Karnataka government has organized a massive covid-19 vaccination drive in the state on Friday and Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the state had set a target of vaccinating at least 30 lakh people in one day.


(With inputs from IANS)