13-years-old girl dies due to adenovirus in Kolkata: Reports

Another tragic incident related to adenovirus occurred in West Bengal, as a young girl from Kharagpur lost her life due to the infection. The 13-year-old schoolgirl, named Urjaswati Roychowdhury, passed away on Thursday morning in a private hospital in Kolkata where she was being treated.

Urjaswati had been suffering from pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital on February 15 due to difficulty breathing. She was placed on a ventilator, and after undergoing various tests, was diagnosed with adenovirus. Unfortunately, despite receiving medical care, she passed away during her treatment.

West Bengal has reported a sharp spike in adenovirus cases even as beds in pediatric care units in various hospitals, both state-run and private, are filling up fast. Even though the state health department has not released any data on the number of children affected nor the death toll to date, officials said at least 32% of the samples sent to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (ICMR-NICED) in Kolkata since January have tested positive.

Medical colleges across the state and the chief medical officers of health of all districts have been directed to check the preparedness and take stock of equipment and infrastructure including oxygen supply and pediatric ventilators.