Everyone is under the weather now

With a nip in the air, doctors in the city have begun to note more cases of viral being reported across age groups, says Dr Sridevi Anantharaman, general physician, Apollo Hospitals, Vanagaram. According to her, the out patient ward in the facility is seeing the arrival of residents with at least one complaint mentioned above. “Common cold and fever are being reported every day at the facility. But we are restricting the prescription of antibiotics. The complaints are across age groups, the weather doesn’t seem to be sparing anyone.” 

However, the worst affected in such weather are the elderly and children, say experts.

Dr K Baraneedharan, general physician and diabetologist, Global Hospitals says, “While there has been an increase in the number of viral flu cases and fever across age groups, we are seeing a large number in the paediatric age group as well. Apart from children, the elderly and those with diabetes are also affected a lot by this plummeting temperature.” He also suggests that the vulnerable senior citizens get a shot of flu vaccine.

In such weather, the biggest concern for doctors is the surfacing of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea. Dr Baraneedharan warns, “People often contract water-borne diseases, this time of the year. We must avoid street food, for the water used in the preparation could be contaminated.” He also says that since mosquitoes are active in the mornings, it is safer to be equipped with mosquito repellents. “The dengue mosquitoes are active in the mornings; one must watch out for them, especially if there are children at home,” he says. 

Doctors have been instructing patients to boil water before consumption. “We did see a number of cases of diarrhoea and typhoid, soon after the cyclone. In both cases, contaminated water is the root cause, so we have told them to opt only for boiled water for cooking and drinking,” says Dr Sridevi.

If you are stepping out of the house early in the morning, or are exposed to foggy nights, watch out for the wheeze, warn pulmonologists. Dr D Vijayasekaran, who is a consultant at Apollo Hospitals and Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, says, “While wheezing itself can have a number of triggering factors, cold weather is the biggest cause. It is better to avoid staying out late in the night and covering up adequately, if you have to step out in the mornings.” He adds that he is seeing many children with the complaint. Since children come into close contact with each other, they are advised to follow hygienic practices. 

Experts also stress on hand hygiene and ensuring the environment is germ- free. “Personal hygiene plays a huge role in keeping infections at bay,” says Dr Baraneedharan, who adds that one must wash one’s hands before meals.

Since Cyclone Vardah struck the city, health officials have been closely monitoring the water-borne infections being reported from across the city. Dr K Kolandasamy, Director, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, says, “We will be continuing our surveillance activities till mid-January to ensure that there is no outbreak. There are 10 rapid response teams in place for the same, apart from the teams who are managing day-to-day monitoring activities. Though there have been a few cases of diarrhoea reported in some parts, we are assessing daily reports to ensure there is no concentration of these cases.”