North India Statesman
Is anyone in your house suffering from cold, high fever and cough that doesn’t seem to go away? If yes, then you are not alone. The capital Patna is currently in the grip of a dangerous viral flu. Long queues of patients are being seen everywhere in the city, from government to private hospitals. The situation is such that even in big hospitals like IGIMS, PMCH and Patna AIIMS, the crowd of patients in OPD has increased by 40%.
According to doctors, this time’s viral infection is very different and disturbing. The biggest matter of concern is that the fever subsides with paracetamol in three-four days, but after that it starts ‘Stubborn cough’which is troubling patients for 7 to 10 days, and in some cases even weeks. Experts classify it as a subtype of influenza A virus. H3N2 The impact of which is being acknowledged, monitoring of which has been intensified.
There is no space to set foot in hospitals, children are most affected.
The situation is so serious that whereas on normal days, 400-450 patients used to come to the medicine department of IGIMS, now this number has crossed 500. Every fourth-fifth of these patients is a victim of viral flu.
The most worrying situation is regarding children. More than 100 children are reaching the Pediatrics Department of PMCH every day for treatment, out of which viral flu is being confirmed in about 40-45 children. Due to changing weather and fluctuations in temperature, the immune system of children is weakening and they are increasingly becoming vulnerable to this infection.
Doctors’ biggest warning: Do not take antibiotics by yourself even by mistake!
If you or your child has viral symptoms, do not start taking antibiotics either on someone’s advice or on your own.
Medicine expert of IGIMS, Dr. Sudhir Kumar has clearly warned that this is a viral infection and antibiotics have no effect on viral. Consuming antibiotics unnecessarily can increase ‘drug resistance’ in your body, due to which in future when you really need these medicines, they will not work on your body.
Then what to do?
- Take only paracetamol for fever.
- Take steam 2-3 times a day for sore throat.
- Do not let the body get dehydrated, drink plenty of water and warm soup.
- Take as much rest as possible so that your body gets the strength to fight the infection.
Most havoc in these areas
The highest outbreak of flu is being seen in densely populated areas of Patna like Kankarbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Boring Road, Rajiv Nagar, Danapur, Kurji and Patel Nagar. The clinics in these areas are packed with patients. In view of the situation, many schools have also issued advisories saying that children who have cough or fever should not be sent to school.
Caution is the biggest protection at this time. Avoid going to crowded places, use a mask and if high fever persists for more than three days or there is difficulty in breathing, contact a doctor immediately.
