Be careful of what you eat; cover up

With maximum temperatures soaring to 35-36 degrees Celsius during the hottest parts of the day, Bangaloreans may be forgiven for often complaining that this is one of the hottest summers they have ever experienced.

While parents are queuing up at doctors’ chambers fearing heat-strokes, most doctors in Bangalore quell fears by maintaining that heat-strokes are extremely uncommon in the city and are likely to remain so. “Heat-strokes are virtually unheard of unless the maximum temperature climbs to 42-45 degrees Celsius and that is not the scenario in Bangalore right now,” reassures Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, HOD, Paediatrics, Manipal Hospital. What the doctor does warn of are gastro-intestinal disorders, which he says are on the rise. “Among children, diarrhoea caused by Rotaviruses are very common these days.

Most children pick up the infection from exposed food or drink,” warns Dr Shenoy.

Aravind Jagadeesh, consultant, general medicines and diabetology, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital agrees that gastro-intestinal (GI) disorders are the main problems to watch out for this summer. This can be manifested in the form of vomiting and dysentery sometimes accompanied by slightly elevated body temperature. “If these symptoms persist the person should be taken to a doctor immediately, because in this kind of weather dehydration can occur very quickly,” says Dr Jagadeesh.

The best way to avoid these problems is to stay away from what is termed ‘unsafe food’. Though doctors will warn against eating out, it is hardly possible to stay away from restaurants and eateries, especially when school and college vacations are on. However, certain precautions can be taken, such as strictly staying away from those juice parlours and fresh fruit stands. Cut fruits must be avoided in no uncertain terms, and it is better to have packaged juices or make them fresh at home, say doctors. “Cold foods such as panipuri, bhelpuri must also be avoided as they often contain germs that cause GI disorders,” says Dr Purnima Parthasarathy, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospital.

Dr Jagadeesh offers another reason why it is imperative to avoid road-side food stalls: “There is a general scarcity of water and these road-side stalls usually do not have running water facilities anyway. They are bound to economise on water with the result that the utensils may not be properly washed and may contain harmful germs.”

Water scarcity also means relying on tanker water for many Bangaloreans, and the only fail-safe way to avoid water-borne illnesses is drinking boiled and cooled water, especially for children and adults with impaired immunity, says Dr Shenoy. Your filter water may not be 100% safe, he warns, while Dr Jagadeesh says drinking water straight from the fridge is also not advisable as this can cause throat infections. “It might also be a good idea to prepare fresh food for every meal. With power outages being quite common, cooked food kept in the fridge may not be safe to consume and can cause stomach upsets,” he says.

Dr Shenoy’s advice to parents is to let children breathe in light cotton clothes. “Bangalore usually has moderate temperatures, so people tend to bundle up children. But now parents must consciously dress children lighter and allow proper ventilation in rooms,” he says. Get kids to drink plenty of fluids, he says, and stop them from playing in the sun during the hottest parts of the afternoon. He also shares the observation that there is a rise in the number of chicken pox cases, and asks parents to keep a lookout for symptoms of chicken pox.