Adenovirus alarm: Bengal govt forms eight-member task force

Kolkata, March 11 With the threat of Adenovirus spreading fast in West Bengal with each passing day, the state government on Saturday announced the formation of an eight-member task force to supervise the situation.

According to a notification issued by the state secretariat on Saturday evening, the eight-member task force will be headed by Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi.

The other members of the task force are Alapan Bandopadhyay, Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; Health Secretary N.S. Nigam; Women & Child Development Department Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh; Director of Health Services Siddhartha Niyogi; and Director of Medical Education Debasis Bhattacharyya.

Two doctors Sukumar Mukherjee and Gopal Krishna Dhali have also been included in the task force.

"The task force will meet at regular intervals and supervise/oversee the arrangements for the treatment of affected persons at different hospitals and other aspects related to controlling the disease," a state government notification read.

The state government said that the total number of deaths among children admitted to hospitals with Adenovirus-related symptoms remained constant at 19 on Saturday, out of which 13 had comorbidities.

However, unofficial figures claim the death figures are much higher.

According to the state government figures, till date, 10,999 children with acute respiratory infection cases have been admitted to hospitals across the state.