DPH issues guidelines to treat antenatal mothers with fever

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) on Wednesday issued instructions to the Deputy Director of Health Services (DDHS) to provide medical attention to antenatal mothers with fever symptoms to reduce maternal mortality rate.

The department stated that on analysis of maternal deaths in 2023 -2024, out of 400 at least 20 (at least 5 per cent) were due to fever and other infections.

Health officials should ensure that any form of fever in pregnant women is evaluated on the first day, and basic investigation including leptospirosis, and septicaemia should be carried out. If they have cough, tests for URI-COVID/H1N1 and seasonal flu should be done, and must check for HEV/HAV if jaundice is found.

“Fever in pregnancy should not be taken lightly, all investigations should be done at the earliest and appropriate antibiotic/ antiviral should be started early,” said Dr TS Selvavinayagam, director-DPH.

If any antenatal mother visits the health care centre with a history of fever, she should be compulsorily admitted to the facility (PHC, GH, MCH or even a private hospital), after she’s checked for temperature, heart rate, BP, and respiratory rate. “Ensure the mother is adequately hydrated, as fever can lead to dehydration,” he added.

Depending on the severity and other symptoms, tests must be conducted on complete blood count, urine analysis, malaria, dengue, leptospirosis, scrub, hepatitis A, B, etc. “Monitor the foetal well-being through ultrasounds. Educate the mother about warning signs that require immediate medical attention, such as persistent high fever, vaginal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, or decreased foetal movement,” Dr Selvavinayagam stated.