BENGALURU: With summer yet to set in, there has been a spike in the number of cases of gastroenteritis and cholera, sparking concern among doctors.
Recently, a 50-year-old patient, who complained of diarrhoea and vomiting, went into a renal shut down. “The creatinine level of the patient jumped to 5.8 when it should normally be 1. The patient had to be dialysed and showed symptoms of gastroenteritis. During peak summer, we see such cases. However, this is just before summer and we are seeing a number of gastroenteritis and cholera-like cases,” said Dr Sandeep MS, senior consultant, gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals, Seshadripuram.
Dr Sandeep said that in the past week, he had seen 25 cases of gastroenteritis with one cholera case. “Usually these many cases are seen in April-end and May. People should start taking precautions,” he added.
Dr Srikanth KP, consultant, pediatric gastroenterology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, said, “I saw 15 cases last month and now, I have started to receive two to three cases a day. Most of the patients are preschool children and adolescents, who fall sick after consuming bad water. As it is starting to get hot now, children have started drinking fruit juices from stalls, where filtered water might not be used. Another reason is unhygienic food.”
Dr Nayaz Ahmed, a private practitioner, said, “Microorganisms tend to thrive with a rise in temperatures and with the temperature being moderately high even now, it can lead to these infections if precautionary measures are not taken. Since it is exam time, it is very difficult for children and they need to take utmost care.”