The state health department will conduct a door-to-door survey across Bengal to spot children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) and influenza-like symptoms (ILI) and provide proper health assistance to them in view of the surge in Adenovirus infections that have claimed over a dozen lives and infected over 5,000 minors so far.

Sources said similar surveys were launched during the various waves of the Covid-19 outbreak and this surveillance helped the health department map the infected pockets and take measures to check the spread of infection in both urban and rural pockets.

Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha) who conducted the survey during the coronavirus outbreak have now been directed to start the new survey and submit a daily report to their reporting officials in blocks across the state. There are around 54,000 Asha workers in Bengal who had played a key role in monitoring Covid-19 infections.

“Asha workers will prepare their survey report and submit to their supervisors who will send the data to block health officials. They (Asha workers) will also help family members take ill children to nearby hospitals. Their visits would also make people aware of precautions to be taken to keep children safe from infections,” said Siddhartha Niyogi, the director of health services of Bengal.

After Covid-19, the surge of Adenovirus infection turned into a concern for the state government following the regular reports of deaths and hospital admission of children suffering from respiratory troubles. Apart from Calcutta, these reports are also coming from the districts.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting on March 2 to discuss the issue with the health officials and appealed not to spread panic over the spread of the infection. She said that ARI was a seasonal phenomenon and the number of Adenovirus patients has started coming down.

The health department has already sent a format for the survey by Asha workers to all chief medical officers of health across the state and directed them to start the drive as soon as possible.

Asha workers have to submit a daily report on the number of houses they visited, the number of children they found with ILI and ARI, the number of ILI and ARI children having comorbidities, how many children have been taken to the hospital and a dedicated column for any specific or serious note about infections in the particular area.

“The survey format has been shared with the districts on Friday night. There are two separate formats for each block medical officer and the chief medical officer. The block-level health officials would compile the data collected by Asha workers and send it to the district. The office of the chief medical officer would send the state a daily report,” said a senior health official in Calcutta.

Health officials said the survey would help them get information on the number of children with ARI and ILI in a specific block or district and help them to focus on particular areas.

“We have observed family members of children from remote districts coming down at the hospitals in Calcutta out of panic even though those minors can be treated at district hospitals. Once we get the data on the ARI and ILI children, we would have an idea about their present health condition. Otherwise many children are turning vulnerable during the hour-long journey from districts. Actually, the survey is to bring the entire thing under a system,” said a senior health official.

A district health official in Burdwan district said they had already engaged Asha workers to conduct a door-to-door survey and file a report in the evening.