Reza Mahmud :
A latest study of German based Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) showed that 100percent children covid patients in Chittagong infected with Indian variant (delta).
Researchers found the result after conducting genome sequences of children covid patients admitted different hospitals including Chittagong Maternal and Child Hospital and Chittagong General Hospital since June to first week of July.
The study led by Dr. HM Hamidullah Mehedi, and Dr. Abdur Rab Masum from Chittagong General Hospital and Dr. Sanjay Kanti Biswas and Dr. Nahid Sultana from Chittagong Maternal and Child Hospital. Dr. Adnan Mannan of the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of the University of Chittagong prepared the overall plan.
The researchers included newly born to 16 years old children patients in their study.
The research finding showed that 80percent of the children infected by the Indian variant were under 10 years old.
A separate study of these researchers found that about 80pc male patients were infected with Indian variant.
But the latest research showed that the male and female children are equally infected with the variant.
They found that 50pc boys and 50pc girl children were infected with this strain.
The research work found that about 95pc children were suffering from fever and about 70pc were from coughing and other cold related problems.
They found that one child patient was totally symptomless.
Dr. Hamidullah Mehedi said, “Our findings showed that most of the patients were infected from Alpha and Beta variant till May. But from June, the Indian variant was spread among the 90pc patients.
The most concerned matter is that the huge infection of the variant spread among the children, Dr. Hamidullah said.
The researchers said that they have not found infections among children in the last one year.
But the children are infected recently which may a result of Indian variant spreading in the country.
When contacted, Tahmina Shirin, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) told The New Nation on Sunday, “We also conducted genome sequencing across the country where we found that most of the infection occurred by the Indian (delta) variant.”
She suggested all to follow health safety measures strictly as the Indian variant is seriously contagious.
When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation told The New Nation on Sunday, “Indian variant Delta is spreading and contaminating very fast among Bangladeshis particularly in children.”
He said, Parents should be careful and smart enough to keep their children at home and ensure they are wearing masks in outdoors.
It is better to keep them at home or in their own yards to remain safe without allowing them to any exposure with outsiders or neighbours, the Professor suggested.
He said, the parents and others at home should be vaccinated as early as possible.
