Dr. Murtaza Kamal

Objective: To observe the effect of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months in children in terms of mortality due to pneumonia. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based, prospective, observational study. Study was done in a tertiary care hospital. 300 children of both sexes between 2 months to 5 years of age were enrolled in this study according to WHO defined criteria for severe and very severe pneumonia. Results: In the study, chances of getting very severe pneumonia was 4.1times more and mortality was 24.7% in the children who did not get exclusive breast feeding up to 6 months in comparison only 3.9% children died who had exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. Conclusion: Children who do not receive exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months are more prone to have more severe pneumonia and relatively higher chance of mortality. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Pneumonia, Mortality

Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis both are caused by Arboviruses spread by mosquitoes are important causes of mortality and morbidity in India. Very few cases of their co-infection have been reported in endemic countries but these is no case report in paediatric population to the best of our knowledge. We report the case of a 4 years old girl child who presented to us with fever, seizures and subsequently developing altered mental status. Lab and radiological investigations proved Dengue and JE co-infection in this child. Keywords: Arboviruses, Dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue JE coinfection, India.

COVID-19, the novel corona virus disease is spreading at a rapid rate across the globe. World health organisation has declared this disease a “pandemic.” A lot is still unknown about this virus till date and we all are learning about it as more and more cases are being involved. This article is being written to discuss about its epidemiology including the modes of transmission, clinical features, diagnostic modalities and its treatment with preventive measures. Keywords: COVID-19, Corona virus, WHO, Pandemic, Pneumonia.

ALCAPA is a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary system of the heart in which the left coronary artery, which normally arises from the aorta, takes its origin from the pulmonary artery. It is a cause of myocardial ischemia in infancy and causes up to 90% mortality in the first year of life if left untreated. Diagnosis has become easy with the advent of 2D echocardiography. Surgery is the mainstay of therapy with good short and long term results. Keywords: ALCAPA, Myocardial ischemia, Pulmonary artery, Coronary artery.

Atrial septal defects (ASD) constitute a tenth of all congenital heart disease in children. It is a common cause of acyanotic congenital heart defects in children. Cyanosis in a case of ASD is something which should hint that the condition is not a simple ASD and should prompt to search for causes for the same. The conditions of cyanosis with ASD have been discussed in this article. Keywords: Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Congenital Heart disease (CHD), Cyanosis.