BENGALURU: The lockdown has definitely made people stay indoors, eat home-cooked food and maintain high hygiene due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this has helped see a drastic fall in the number of summer diseases.
Dr Reshu Agrawal, Consultant Internal Medicines Manipal Hospitals Whitefield, said, “Fortunately most of the summer-related disease has come down. Diseases related to food and water have reduced and this is primarily due to the lockdown and people are eating simple, home-cooked food. Therefore stomach infections, food poisoning have all come down as people are aware of hand hygiene. Skin-related allergies have also come down. It could be because people are consuming less oily food and perhaps most of them are avoiding non-veg as well. However, I have received queries on people undergoing stress, depression or anxiety since they are staying indoors 24/7 due to the lockdown. Some of them complain of feeling low or sleep disturbances. I advise them to eat balanced meals.”
Dr Sheela Chakravarthy. Director, Internal Medicine; Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, said, “The lockdown has reduced the transmission of COVID-19 but has also reduced the considerable risk of another water-borne disease like cholera and typhoid. This has happened because individuals have reduced the consumption of outside food. Additionally, good hand hygiene practices, drinking uncontaminated water, washing of fruits and vegetables, cooking at home under a clean and hygienic environment go a long way in preventing diseases which are spread by feaco oral route.
Hand hygiene is the key for your healthy life. Thus, it is important that people adopt such healthy practices.”
Neeraj Lal, Cluster Head and Vice President, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said, “The children can’t go out and play and this reduces the risk of air-borne diseases. Also since they are indoors always, there is little chance of them eating junk food which leads to stomach infections. “