An infant suffering from blue baby syndrome was successfully treated at a city hospital. The entire body of a 23-day-old baby girl from Noida turned blue after she was fed formula mixed with borewell water by her parents.
The child was admitted to the Department of Neonatology of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with suspected heart disease. The doctors said that entire body of the girl had turned blue, including lips, hands and feet. However, following intense examination and treatment, her condition improved and is reportedly stable.
"Normally, the colour of a baby turning blue is either attributed to a heart or respiratory problem. However, in this particular case, these were ruled out by appropriate investigation. We looked at some unusual causes of blue baby syndrome and checked the baby's blood for Methaemoglobin level, which was found to be 67 per cent against a normal of less than 1 per cent," said Dr Pankaj Garg, Senior Consultant at the Ganga Ram Hospital.
He further added that the family was feeding the baby with formula milk mixed with underground water. "The testing took place at Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) laboratory in Dwarka. We then treated the child with Methaline blue (medicine to treat Methaemoglobin) and the family was advised not to use borewell water from now on," Garg added.
The incident, however, is a wake-up call for the concerned authorities to ensure safe drinking facilities for villages in Noida. Doctors claimed that infants, who are fed with contaminated water, are at a high risk of nitrate poisoning due to mixing of sewage and fertilisers in the water. This incident also highlighted the need for breast feeding for toddlers.