City sees spike in gastro cases amid monsoon onset

Time of India

6 hours ago

Kolkata: An outbreak of viral fever and gastrointestinal diseases, with symptoms of stomach upset often worsening into diarrhoea, has struck Kolkata over the last week, within days of the Covid outbreak fading.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Cases of severe diarrhoea, typhoid, and shigella have also been reported across private hospitals. The number of patients suffering from stomach infection-related fever has gone up by 10%-15% in the last four days, according to some city clinics and hospitals.
"The symptoms range from mild stomach discomfort to severe gastroenteritis with high fever persisting for three-four days. We have been receiving five-six patients with stomach-related ailments daily on average since last week.
These include senior citizens, some of whom suffered severe electrolyte imbalance due to fluid loss triggered by diarrhoea. We admitted a few since it's necessary to monitor the electrolyte level and ensure the right fluid replenishment under supervision," said Charnock Hospital emergency head Nishant Agarwal.
"We received around five patients with hepatitis A in the last week. Typhoid and gastrointestinal diseases rise around the onset of monsoon, often due to consumption of contaminated water.
That apart, cases of severe diarrhoea have been on the rise. This will continue till the rain turns more consistent," said Sayan Chakrabarty, infectious diseases physician, Manipal Hospitals.
"We are seeing a variety of gastrointestinal infections, ranging from viral gastroenteritis to bacterial infections like E. coli and salmonella that cause diarrhoea, fever, and stomach pain. Common symptoms include nausea, watery or bloody diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fever, and dehydration," said Shiv Ratan Pathak, consultant gastroenterologist, BP Poddar.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"Last week, we had six admissions. Drinking safe water and good hygiene are essential," said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group adviser, BP Poddar.
"We detected several diarrhoea and typhoid cases, some very severe, over the last few days. Several pathogenic strains of E-coli have also been detected along with a few shigella cases. We also found campylobacter jejuni and vibrio cholerae in multiple cases with gastrointestinal symptoms," said Peerless Hospital microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri.
Techno DAMA Hospital has treated five to six young adults and kids with diarrhoea, fever, bloating, and stom-ach cramps. E. coli, rotavirus, amoebiasis, and a few salmonella and Shigella cases have been detected along with a few cases of typhoid. "We mostly treat by using ORS. Zinc supplementation can also help reduce the duration and severity of episodes. In bacterial infections, antibiotics may be prescribed," said MS Purkait, medical superintendent, Techno India DAMA Hospital.