2 infants who died in Kolar hospital had sepsis: Report

BENGALURU: While the Karnataka health department claimed the recent death of three infants in Kolar district took place due to low birth weight, preterm birth, respiratory distress syndrome and absence of essential organs, and there was no inadequacy or inefficiency of hospital staff, the death report shows something grave.
Apart from these causes, two of these three infants were also suffering from sepsis -an infection that spreads due to use of unclean handlers and labour rooms at the time of delivery.
Sepsis is considered a major contributor to infant mortality rate in Karnataka, along with choking of babies and low birth weight, say health department officials.
The three infant deaths were reported from Sri Narasimha Raja District Hospital in Kolar on Monday . According to the health director's report, two were underweight and the third suffered from brain deformities. Along with other health complications, two of the three infants in Kolar were also suffering from sepsis.Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary , health and family welfare department, said: “We are focusing on the skill of conducting deliveries as inefficiency leads to choking of infants, especially in the second stage of labour. This is a major cause of infant death in Karnataka. Infections like sepsis due to unclean handlers and labour rooms and low birth weight due to anaemia and malnutrition in mothers are the other major causes of infant mortality .“
According to a report submitted by the director, health and family welfare services to the principal secretary , health, 90 of the 1,053 newborns admitted to Sri Narasimharaja District Hospital in Kolar, about 70km from Bengaluru, from January 1 to August 22 this year have died. However, only 82 of 1,211 newborns admitted to the hospital died during 2016.
Shalini said: “The department has alerted all ASHA (accredited social health activists) and anganwadi workers to take special care of such high-risk pregnancies using mother and child tracking system. Also, we invite active involvement of family members who should take special care of pregnant women suffering from malnutrition and other complications.“
Karnataka has seen 11,212 infant deaths in 2016-17, with Belagavi record ing the highest number (1,049) followed by Kalaburgi (817) and Vijayapura (726), as per data recorded by the state health and family welfare department.
Of 11,212 deaths, the maximum number occurred at the age of 29 days to 1 year. As many as 3,235 infants lost their lives at the age of 29 days to one year, followed by 2,360 deaths of infants aged zero to one day , 2,299 infants aged two to three days and 1,468 infants in age group of four to seven days.
Health department officials claim the state's infant mortality rate is 13 per 1,000 live births compared to the national rate of 28, and the state's figure has considerably improved in the past few years.
To curb the infant mortality rate, the state health department has taken up several measures. Dr Rajni M, deputy director, child health department, said: “In all, 37 Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU) are functional across all districts. These SNCUs look into prevention of infection, provision of warmth, resuscitation, early initiation of breastfeeding, weighing of newborn at the time of birth along with managing infants with low birth weight, tackling all sick newborns except those requiring mechanical ventilation and major surgical intervention.“
Also, six SNCUs have been upgraded with high delivery load and seven new SNCUs have been introduced at taluk and district hospitals.“In all, 166 New Born Stabilisation Units are functional in First Referral Units and taluk hospitals.