Kolkata, Mar 13 (PTI) A total of 12,343 cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) were detected in West Bengal in the last two and a half months, and most of those infected were children, a senior official said on Monday.

So far, 19 people died of adenovirus infection in the state and 13 of them had severe comorbidities, he said.

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"New admissions in hospitals have come down, from around 800 per day a week back to about 600 per day at present," the official said.

A high-level task force on ARI that was formed with Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi as its chairman met on Monday, and decided that training will be given doctors working in private hospitals, and private practitioners.

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The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Indian Association of Paediatricians (IAP) will be involved in sensitisation of their members and for public awareness, the official said.

"General advisories will be given to Anganwadi workers for early identification of the symptoms," he said.

"House-to-house visits by ASHA workers will be intensified for early identification of the cases. Senior doctors and experts will monitor the treatment protocols in the hospitals," the official said.

Private hospitals will also be sensitised about the current situation and the treatment protocols so that adequate capacity is available in the private sector as well, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)