HYDERABAD, March 4: Dr Hatif Ali Shamsi, head of the department of paediatrics, Isra University Hospital, has warned the parents against the spread of a viral disease among children in Hyderabad.

In a statement issued here on Monday, he said that the virus was not fatal but it made children very sick.

He said the virus called adenovirus had spread out in the vicinity of Hyderabad like an epidemic.

According to him, the virus causes a disease called pharygo conjunctival fever which usually lasts for five to seven days.

The main symptoms of this illness are high-grade fever, runny nose, flu like illness, red and watery eyes, sore throat and severe dry cough.

It may also cause repeated vomiting in some children, which could subsequently cause dehydration.

He said that the children should be made to drink plenty of fruit juice particularly orange juice to help avoid dehydration and fight against this disease. It was a misconception in our society that orange juice caused cold, he added.

Dr Shamsi advised that the affected children should be taken to a doctor immediately.

Antibiotics are of little or no help and only Paracetamol and cough syrups should suffice, he said.

Regarding the preventive measures, Dr Shamsi advised the parents to keep their children away from affected children as much as possible.

TRAINING: A six-day in-service training course in physics organized by the department of physics, University of Sindh, in collaboration with the University Grants Commission, was inaugurated by vice chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddique in Jamshoro on Monday.