2 Kolar Infants Died Due To Sepsis In Karnataka, Says Report

Two of the three infant deaths in Kolar's Sri Narasimha Raja District Hospital in Karnataka happened due to sepsis, reports The Times of India. According to the hospital staff, the three infant deaths were due to premature birth and underweight but the results point in another direction. Sepsis is an infection spread due to use of unclean handlers and labour rooms at the time of delivery.The Health Director's report states that two infants were underweight and the third infant suffered from brain deformities.

Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, said, "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." A news report quotes a report submitted by the Director, to Shalini Rajneesh. It mentioned that 90 of the 1,053 infants admitted to the Kolar hospital, had died between January 1 and August 22 this year and 82 of the 1,211 infants admitted to the hospital died in 2016.

The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission decided to probe the infant deaths at the hospital on Wednesday. The investigation is on as the hospital staff refused to take responsibility for the infants death. Shalini Rajneesh added by saying that, "We invite active involvement of family members who should take special care of pregnant women suffering from malnutrition and other complications." According to TOI, Karnataka has seen 11,212 infant deaths in 2016-17, with Belagavi recording the highest number (1,049) followed by Kalaburgi (817) and Vijayapura (726).