Underestimated Bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients
When we started our fight against COVID-19 last year, little did we know that the fight is not just against the pandemic but multiple other situations that we would meet on the way. The rate at which COVID-19 is digging up other diseases gives a feel of an unending nightmare. Underestimated bacterial infections among covid patients is one of them.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had conducted a study across some hospitals last year to understand the impact of secondary infections in COVID-19 patients. They found that over 56% of the COVID-19 patients who had contracted secondary infections had died.
According to the study, the mortality rate among patients with secondary infections was much higher as compared to the overall mortality of COVID-19 patients. “Blood and respiratory sites were the most common sites of secondary infection in Covid-19 patients. Gram-negative pathogens were predominant in respiratory infections, with a significant proportion of Gram-positive pathogens isolated from bloodstream infections,” as per the study.
The ICMR data shows how dangerous secondary infections are if underestimated. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand secondary infections and the impact they can have.
A few months ago, the Union Health Ministry had also intervened and told the states to set up prevention control programmes in hospitals as per the National Guidelines for Infection and Control in Healthcare Facilities.
Secondary infections may be bacterial, viral or fungal. The most common infections are bacterial but surprisingly get the least importance. Considering the damaging potential of the infections, awareness about it is essential.
Who all are susceptible to bacterial infection? What are the sites of infections? What are the various factors behind co-infection? Why is it common in COVID-19 patients? How to diagnose and treat the infections? These are some of the questions that come to the mind of a healthcare professional when dealing with such cases.
MedPiper Technologies and JournoMed are conducting a webinar to help practitioners remain updated on the ever-changing healthcare scene amid the pandemic. The webinar will cover all the topics that will help answer the above-mentioned questions faced by practitioners.
Join the webinar scheduled to be held on 9th July 2021, at 2 pm, by submitting your details here. For support in registrations reach Soumya T S at soumya@medpiper.com / Mob: +91 90800 78447.
Our Expert Speaker:
Dr Sayan Bhattacharyya, MD Microbiology ( PGIMER Chandigarh) Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, Chief Editor, Eastern Journal of Medical Sciences.
