Keep warm and eat safe, say docs as lung & GI cases surge

Keep warm and eat safe, say docs as lung & GI cases surge 

Pearl.D’ Souza@timesofindia.com 12.12.2024

Bengaluru : With patients coming in with diarrhoea or fever due to gastrointestinal (GI) infections from contaminated water and food or due to upper respiratory tract infections, city doctors have warned people against eating at unhygienic places or consuming uncooked food from outside, and asked them to maintain their body temperature. Dr Kamal Bhalla, consultant, internal medicine, Sagar Hospital, Kumaraswamy Layout, treats about 50 influenza cases in her out-patient department (OPD) each week, a five-fold increase from a month ago. “A lot of this is due to weather change. The sudden temperature differences can lead to viral illnesses. Unlike a mild cold and cough, flu has patients coming in with severe body pain and weakness to the extent that they even find it difficult to get up. Some also develop loose motions, although it is not a telltale sign of flu.” 

According to Dr Bhalla, those in their 20s and 30s, by virtue of going outside and exposing themselves, make up for a higher number of patients. “The infection is also more intense — we have several elderly, those with diabetes and smokers’ lungs come down with pneumonia. They should consider taking flu shots that will reduce severity and frequency of the infection,” she said. She also sees about 14 peo ple every week with GI infection, from what was barely two cases a week earlier. “We are seeing both bacterial and viral infections. Bacterial infections generally come with fever and abdominal pain, besides diarrhoea. You get it mainly from contaminated food or water,” she added. Dr Sudharshan K S, consultant pulmonologist, TriLife Hospital, says he has been seeing 120-150 cases of respiratory infections every week. “Two-three weeks ago, we would get 80 cases per week. These patients present with fever, myalgia, runny nose and nose block. There is not much increase in cases compared to 2023. The most-affected age categories are children and the  working population,” he pointed out. “When you have an infection, it is better to be indoors. Don’t consume cold things and isolate yourself,” he added. 

Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, chairman, HOD and consultant, pulmonology, lung transplant physician & sleep medicine specialist, Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, is seeing a 10-20% surge in patients with respiratory infections. “The most common among these is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), followed by influenza A and B. A smaller number of cases of human metapneumovirus and adenovirus are also being observed at our centre. People across all age groups are affected, but air travellers are particularly at high risk,” he said. “Compared to last year, we are seeing more patients, which is likely due to the weather and surge in RSV cases. RSV has caused issues in other parts of the world, including the US. Respiratory infections like RSV or influenza cause fever, cough, breathlessness and wheezing,” he explained.