The unexpected shift from hot to cool weather in June has resulted in hospitals and clinics reporting sporadic increase in complaints of fever, running nose or chest congestion. There has been an increase in the number of people complaining of respiratory infection.
The humidity is causing problems for persons with asthma. The sudden changes and the humidity are difficult for them to cope with, said R. Narasimhan, senior consultant, Apollo Hospital.
“There has been a 10 to 20 per cent increase in the number of patients coming in. The effect of respiratory infection will be more in children than in adults every time the weather changes,” he said.
“Some asthmatics are sensitive to winter and some, to summer. Most of the patients are on single-dose inhalers. With the weather changing frequently, their inhaler consumption has gone up,” Dr. Narasimhan added.
“Usually from June-end, we see more children with respiratory infections, particularly chest congestion,” said M.P. Jayapaul, consultant paediatrician at Apollo Hospital, City Centre in Sowcarpet. At his clinic in Tondiarpet, he gets “patients from Ennore and Kasimedu fishing community and there is not much shift in their number,” he said.
The Government Stanley Hospital authorities said they had not seen a specific rise in any kind of infection though more patients report with diarrhoea. But this is a common occurrence during this time of the year, a senior paediatrician said. Doctors expect a breakout of malaria once the rain abates.
