Bengaluru: The city is witnessing a significant rise in the number of people suffering from a viral infection such as flu, with one doctor describing the flu this season as more debilitating than in previous ones.Doctors are reporting eight to 20 such cases daily, and are issuing a general advisory to keep warm, carry an umbrella or raincoat to avoid getting wet in the rain, and eat warm or room-temperature food, besides maintaining basic respiratory hygiene such as covering the mouth when coughing and wearing a mask in closed spaces. Dr NG Kanchan, a consultant in internal medicine at Trilife Hospital, is treating 20 such cases daily. “Our OPDs are full — 90% of the patients have cough, cold, and high-grade fever. We’ve also had to put patients on drips. The dry weather of Bengaluru, due to lack of humidity, kicks up particulate matter — and last week’s sharp dip in temperature and increase in moisture has caused the infection to continue.” “We’ve had cases of students coming down with high-grade fever, and their schools have closed for a few days until the infection tapers. This fortnight, we had such a case of a boy from Mysuru. About a month ago, there was a similar case at a school in OMBR Layout in Bengaluru,” she said. Although gloomy weather has loomed over the city for at least a fortnight, a general physician from Malleswaram’s Vyalikaval, Dr S Raghupathi, told TOI there has been a spurt in viral infection cases in the past 4-5 days. “These were upper respiratory infections coupled with fever — about eight cases are coming daily — along with a runny nose. One or two patients came down with wheezing from allergies caused by seasonal variation. Air-conditioning makes the cough worse because infection spreads in closed areas,” he added. Dr Kamal Bhalla, a consultant in internal medicine at Sagar Hospital, Kumaraswamy Layout, concurred. “In the past 10 days, there has been a fivefold increase from the week that preceded it, with about 10 cases daily. A lot of patients come in after consuming antibiotics, but this is a viral infection and requires different treatment. If they start with the right treatment at the beginning, patients get better in 3-4 days. However, when there is a delay, that puts them at risk of pneumonia too,” she added.
