Hospitals see higher footfall amid cold weather

BENGALURU: With cold weather conditions prevailing in Bengaluru, city hospitals are seeing a higher footfall for cases of Influenza like Infections (ILI), fever, cold, cough and other respiratory ailments. Doctors attribute the increasing number of people falling sick to the volatile weather in the city.

Dr Rajath Athreja, Head of Department (Paediatrics), Sakra World Hospital, said, “We saw a rise in the number of patients coming with ILI symptoms in the past one month. Around 100 patients came with symptoms like cold, cough and fever. However, the cases of severe infections needing hospital admissions have remained low.”

According to Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Victoria Hospital, Dr Srinivas, the situation is not alarming and is seen every year when the weather fluctuates. The hospital has seen a 10 per cent rise in the number of patients visiting the out-patient department in the past one month. The cases, however, are not severe and can be treated in 2-3 days, Dr Srinivas said.

Another doctor from KC General Hospital also said that the emergency department at the hospital has been seeing an increase in number of patients with flu-like symptoms. Many patients had symptoms like shortness of breath, tiredness, fever and cough. Since the symptoms are the same for Covid-19 patients, people panic and rush to the hospital. However, the intensity of the symptoms has not been very high in most cases, he said.

Dr Rajath has a word of caution for people. He said all necessary precautions should be taken in order to stay protected. People below 5 years and above 60 years of age should take flu vaccines as it reduces the chances of severe infections. He also said that Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) should be followed to ensure minimum spreading of the infection.