Viral fever grips Bangalore

The cases of viral fever, cold, cough and soar throat continue to rage through the city. Doctors have attended about 10-15 cases each, of viral fever over the last week.

"Of late the weather has changed considerably. A week ago it was really hot, but now due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, the weather is fluctuating. The afternoons are generally hot in Bangalore, but the temperature is very low during the night and early morning. The city is also getting light spells of rain, occasionally. The weather fluctuation is leading to this kind of viral infection among all age groups," says Dr Aravind Jagadish, consultant, physician, BGS Global Hospital.

“Also, during this weather, the viruses in the air become active and easily affect people. Once the summer settles down, hopefully by mid-April, this problem will end,” he adds.

This kind of virus spreads easily. So if one member of the family falls sick, there is a fair chance of the other members catching the infection. "People with symptoms of viral fever, should stay at home and avoid going to office, so that the virus doesn't spread," he adds.

Even children are increasingly getting affected by viral infection. City paediatricians are getting around 50 to 60 cases of viral fever, cold and cough. "There is nothing much that parents can do as a preventive measure, as this is mainly caused due to a virus in the atmosphere.

However, parents can boost the child's diet by enriching it with more vitamins. Intake of fresh fruit and vegetables is a must during this season," says Dr Apsara Senthil Kumar, a city-based paediatrician, who is also seeing many cases of viral
diarrhoea.

Viral fever generally lasts for three to seven days. "This is mainly due to the sudden change in climate and can occur twice or three times a year," she adds.