21 children, including newborn, defeat COVID-19 in Indore

A 20-day-old baby girl, one of the youngest COVID-19 patients in Madhya Pradesh, and 20 other children below the age of two years have defeated the deadly viral infection in the worst hit Indore district, officials said. Their mothers also made all efforts to shower their love and affection on the children to help them recover from the disease.

Indore-based Choithram Hospital's senior pediatrician Dr Rashmi Shad told PTI that a 20-day-old girl, and two boys, aged two months and 18 months, have been discharged from the private medical facility's COVID-19 ward in last 15 days. After the treatment, these children tested negative twice for the disease.

"The 20-day-old girl was admitted to the hospital on May 1 and discharged on May 9. She contracted the infection from a close relative. But, what is surprising is that her mother, who stood by her side round-the-clock, did not catch the infection," she said. Besides, 18 other children below the age of two also recovered from COVID-19 and were discharged from Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences here in last 45 days, the private hospital's chest disease department head Dr Ravi Dosi said.

Out of these 18 children, eight were below the age of six months and completely dependent on mother's feed, he said. "It was an altogether different experience for me to see such small children admitted in the COVID-19 ward. They defeated the disease with the help of medicines and their strong immunity," Dr Dosi said.

"I can't describe in words my happiness when I saw these children going home from the hospital with their delighted mothers," he said. Dr Shad and Dr Dosi informed that the mothers wore masks and took all other precautions against the virus while breast-feeding their children in the hospitals. Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said they have advised that these children along with their mothers stay in isolation at home for 14 days, like other patients.

A regular follow-up of their health condition is being done, he said. Indore has so far reported 1,935 COVID-19 cases and 90 deaths. Till now, 898 people have been discharged after recovery, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)