Ahmedabad: The late-July rain followed by the spell of hot, humid weather have ushered in a wave of seasonal infections in the city. Several patients have tested positive for viral infections and H1N1, while doctors are also encountering infections within families. Dengue, malaria, chikungunya, typhoid, and jaundice are adding to the seasonal disease burden.Doctors have urged residents to prevent the accumulation of water in homes, avoid self-medication, and seek medical advice if symptoms persist for more than two days.“Six of every 10 cases we are seeing are viral fevers, and several of them are H1N1,” said Dr Chetan Trivedi, a paediatrician and infectious diseases specialist.Doctors said influenza cases were being reported alongside mosquito-borne and waterborne diseases. They attributed the infections to shifting weather conditions, waterlogging, and mosquito breeding in stagnant water, including that accumulated in open plots.Dr Nirav Benani, a paediatrician, said influenza should be considered when a child develops a high fever accompanied by a headache, body ache or sore throat. Doctors have also encountered clusters in which more than one member of a family has fallen ill.“We advise parents not to send children to school if they have these symptoms to reduce the risk of transmission,” Benani said.Dr R C Damani, an internal medicine specialist at Shalby Hospital, said the season for vector-borne diseases has begun. Doctors were seeing occasional cases of chikungunya as well as typhoid and jaundice, he said.“The proportion of patients requiring hospitalisation is very low at present, and most cases are not severe. People should protect themselves from mosquito bites, eat a balanced diet and remain hydrated,” Damani said.Dr Manish Maheshwari, a consultant physician at Narayana Hospital, said prevention had to begin at home and in the neighbourhood. Residents should regularly empty and clean coolers, flowerpots, discarded tyres and other containers in which water can collect.He also advised people to keep their surroundings clean, use mosquito repellents or other protective measures and wear clothes that cover their arms and legs.Disease surveillance figures released by AMC health department on Tuesday showed that the city recorded 113 cases of gastroenteritis, 46 of typhoid and 17 of jaundice between Aug 1 and 9.Over the same nine-day period, the civic body recorded 19 dengue cases, 13 malaria cases, one falciparum malaria case and one chikungunya case.AMC tested 16,536 water samples for residual chlorine during the period and found no residual chlorine in six. It also collected 2,453 samples for bacteriological analysis, of which 10 were declared unfit for consumption.From Jan 1 to Aug 9, Ahmedabad recorded 246 dengue cases, 188 malaria cases, 20 falciparum malaria cases and four chikungunya cases, according to AMC data.The civic body also recorded 3,669 gastroenteritis cases, 1,247 typhoid cases and 469 jaundice cases during the same period.
