Delhi hospitals see rise in typhoid, respiratory issues

Delhi hospitals are seeing an uptick in patients coming to OPDs with upper respiratory tract infections typhoid and gastroenteritis due to the unseasonal rains and weather changesAccording to doctors the number of such cases has nearly doubled owing to an increased awareness about such infections necessitated by the pandemicThese days we are getting more than 20 patients every day in the OPD with complaints of upper respiratory tract infections undiagnosed prolonged fever typhoid cases of swine flu allergies pneumonia and dengueiquest said Dr Bhagwan Mantri consultant pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Moolchand HospitalEarlier the number of such patients was less than 10 per day but we are seeing a spike now he saidThe infections are happening across all age groups but when respiratory tract infections happen among the elderly they assume a severe form he addedExpert say that the surge of infectious diseases is generally seen after monsoon every yearBut unlike previous years some hospitals are also witnessing cases of scrub typhus and leptospirosis in greater numbersDengue which has become a regular burden this season is a regular ailment these days among OPD patients Besides we are getting typhoid fever acute gastroenteritis viral hepatitis upper respiratory infections some cases of swine flu and occasional Covid cases said Dr Manoj Sharma Senior Consultant Internal Medicine Fortis Hospital Vasant KunjAlso Read Delhi Police arrest 2 men involved in terror actsThis year we are getting cases of scrub typhus and leptospirosis as well although numbers are not huge they are definitely more than previous years he saidScrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi a miteborne bacterium Chigger mites the larval stage of mites transmit the disease from animals like rats squirrels and rabbits to humansLeptospirosis is a bacterial infection transmitted through urine or excreta of rats and cattleAccording to Dr SCL Gupta Medical Director Batra Hospital the unseasonal rains and the sudden weather change could be a reason behind the spike in the casesOur hospital is seeing cases of upper respiratory tract infections among children especially among the seven to eight years old The symptoms include fever breathlessness cough uneasiness Gupta saidMantri concurred with Gupta and said that the month of September saw unseasonal rains which could have been the trigger for thisEarlier the illnesses would rear their head in July and August but now with the rains in September the timing of emergence of these illnesses has also shifted to September Manti said adding that when Covid19 was at its peak a spike in such cases was not seenDoctors advise people to wear mask since it not only protects against Covid19 but other viruses too which get transmitted through airConsult a doctor if you have fever for more than 48 hours Fever if not treated well in time can lead to complications advised MantriThe senior doctor also said that thanks to Covid19 people have started taking respiratory infections seriouslyWhenever people experience breathlessness they consult a doctor since there is still some fear of Covid Even physicians refer patients of respiratory illnesses to pulmonologists he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever