Flu, Viral Fever Cases Rise In Bengaluru Hospitals Due To Changing Weather

(CTN News) – Dr Siri Kamath, senior consultant physician at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital and co-in-charge of the Covid Fever task at the hospital, explains that the number of patients with upper respiratory and lower respiratory tract infections has increased over the past two to three months.

The patient presents with symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, and sore throat.

However, most of the patients who are admitted to the hospital recover with IV hydration, antivirals, antibiotic treatment, and supportive therapy.

It has been suggested that the causative organism in such cases could be either a variety of bacteria or viruses, such as influenza, including H1N1 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

I think it is true to say that viral fevers without any evidence of involvement of the respiratory tract are also seen, so yes, such cases are also seen.

In the majority of cases, initial tests are usually sent to rule out conditions such as typhoid, dengue, malaria, Covid-19, and urinary tract infections due to the fact that these are the most common ones.

Simultaneous treatment for all possible causes of fever, compatible with the patient’s clinical features, is started at the same time.

Since the beginning of the year, we have seen approximately 352 cases in the last six months.”

“Since the start of the winter season, we have seen five to six cases per ten patients with viral fever and flu in our outpatient department at Aster CMI Hospital,” says Dr Brunda M S, consultant (internal medicine) at the hospital.

Symptoms include fever, feeling feverish, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, muscle and body aches, headaches, exhaustion, vomiting and diarrhoea (these are mostly experienced by children), as well as nausea and vomiting.

Flu tends to be self-limiting in the elderly, where fever typically goes away after three to four days and other symptoms tend to subside after about seven days in most cases.

In contrast, people with chronic medical illnesses are more likely to suffer from catastrophic flu complications than those who are young, healthy, or over 65 years old.

The reason for this is that our immune systems weaken as we age as a result of our aging process.

There are quite a few individuals in this age bracket who require hospitalization as a result of their illnesses.”

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