A mysterious illness with symptoms of high fever with full-body rash among children is on the rise in Bengaluru.
The city doctors, who are seeing at least 30 to 40 such cases every day, are confused and puzzled as the 'mysterious illness' shows symptoms of various diseases including dengue fever, scrub typhus and sometimes even viral fever.
Dr Chetan Ginigeri Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, People Tree Hospitals, told Bangalore Mirror, "We have seen cases that have 40% similarity with Scrub Typhus. When we test them it may not be positive but on clinical examination it indicates all the symptoms."
Besides school-going children, rashes on the body along with high fever has been detected on children between the ages of 15 months and two years.
"There have been many cases and out of 30 to 40 cases every day, at least 10 children have presented with these symptoms. These symptoms could signal Dengue, viral infections or Scrub Typhus," Dr Preeti Galagali, a senior paediatrician, told Bangalore Mirror.
Galagali added that the illness has even been detected among children as young as four months old.
Symptoms associated with the illness includes loss of appetite and nausea due to dip in blood pressure. If not treated on time, this could develop into hypo-tension, she added.
According to Dr Girish SV, consultant neo-natologist, Cloudnine Hospital, children experience fever for three days, then it subsides. However, it may recur along with rashes, he said.
Timely consultation with the doctor, along with a healthy and balanced diet, is the only way to tackle the problem, say doctors.
