The rising mercury level and the dry spell have resulted in an increase in the number of water-borne disease cases being reported in Bangalore hospitals.
Doctors, who have seen an increase in gastroenteritis cases in the last few weeks, warned that if people didn't take precautions, they were likely to land up with jaundice, hepatitis A and typhoid, apart from gastroenteritis.
While consumption of contaminated water was said to be the main cause, food prepared in unhygienic conditions and cut fruits sold on the roadsides were also the culprits, they said.
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According to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) project coordinator (communicable diseases) Manoranjan Hegde, 193 cases of gastroenteritis had been reported in the city since January. Of these, 70 were reported from March 1 to 25.
The recent death of a two-year-old boy from Venkatswamy Gardens in Jagjivan Ram Nagar , allegedly due to water contamination, was the only gastroenteritis death, according to officials.
Although the numbers are a little lower than those reported during the same period last year, doctors advised people to take precautions to stay safe.
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Not an outbreak
Asserting that it was not an outbreak, Mr. Hegde said most of the sporadic cases were reported from areas in east Bangalore such as Murphy Town, D.J. Halli, Tannery Road, Neelsandra and Koramangala, apart from Jagjivan Ram Nagar and surrounding areas.
Doctors at the State-run Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, Victoria Hospital and K.C. General Hospital are also regularly seeing patients with complaints of diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration.
“We get at least seven or eight patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis every day. But, most of them are treated as out-patients. Even those who were admitted have recovered,” said K.R. Ravindra, associate professor, Department of Medicine at Victoria Hospital.
A senior doctor at the Bowring Hospital said at least three patients came with complaints of diarrhoea every day.
Symptoms
Gastroenteritis is the frequent passage of loose stools.
It is most often caused by infection from bacteria such as E. coli and Vibrio cholerae, or by viruses and parasites such as giardia.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, followed by dehydration.
Dr. Ravindra advised people to drink water that was boiled and cooled. People must watch what they eat, he said, adding that “it is advisable to eat hot home-cooked food.”
Cut fruits
BBMP Deputy Commissioner (Health) Y.M. Ramachandra Murthy, who claimed the palike had started creating awareness on the diseases in vulnerable areas, said it was difficult to control the sale of fruits on the roadsides.
“Eating cut fruits from roadside vendors that are either not washed properly or are washed with impure water can be harmful. Our efforts to check this risk has been met with stiff resistance from the local people,” he said.
Citing an example, he said: “When we tried to check the sale of cut fruits in the vicinity of the Vidhana Soudha and the High Court, government employees objected and demanded that the vendors be allowed to operate from there.”
“One should eat fresh fruits only after washing them thoroughly and fruit juices are healthy only when prepared under hygienic conditions,” he said.