Mumbai: Doctors across Mumbai are reporting a 40-45 per cent rise in the number of cases of fever, cold and cough cases in the last one month. They are attributing it to high humidity, bad air quality and warm temperatures, factors conducive for the growth and spread of viruses. Fluctuating temperatures can cause infectious diseases and raise health issues like headache, nasal and chest congestion, common cold, allergies.
“Though temperatures have been fluctuating, cases have increased due to the ongoing coronavirus scare. Citizens with cold and cough symptoms do visit the outpatient department for check-ups. On a daily basis, more than 30 patients visit the OPD, complaining of respiratory illness, and as a result, cases have increased by 45 per cent,” said doctors from civic-run hospitals. Health experts say a shift in the weather triggers certain illnesses and one needs to be extra cautious, as the change in weather challenges the immune system. The body gets used to a certain weather and when things change suddenly, the body has to try to adapt.
Sometimes, however, our bodies have a difficult time adjusting, which can trigger an illness.
“We get at least ten patients with respiratory problems every day in the hospital’s outpatient department. Not everyone requires hospitalisation but in a situation where there is high fever, usually above 100 degrees, patients seek admission and require intravenous antibiotics,” said Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean, Nair hospital.
Meanwhile, doctors have also appealed to Mumbaikars to keep themselves hydrated, as temperatures are likely to increase and avoid going for morning walks. The phenomenon of ‘temperature inversion’ intensifies air pollution. The burning of coal, kerosene, wood, garbage, and vehicular exhaust fumes give rise to suspended particulate matter, which are responsible for pollutants getting dispersed in the air.
The increase in allergens, along with smog and pollutants, can predispose children to viral and bacterial infections, causing breathing difficulties. “An alarming increase in air pollution attacks the respiratory system. Moreover, higher levels of carbon monoxide directly hit the cardiovascular system and the entire respiratory tract, particularly among children,” say paediatricians.
