It’s tough to spot a household this week that doesn’t have a member coughing, sneezing or downright flat in bed with thermometer under tongue.
A BE Block baby’s annaprashan on Sunday was a case in point. A few days before the ceremony, the child was down with a 103-degree fever. So sustained was the temperature that some of the invitees assumed the event would have to be called off and accepted invitations elsewhere on the day.
Luckily, the fever subsided in time but even at the ceremony, some guests blessed the child from several feet away as they too were suffering from cold and didn’t want to infect the baby afresh.
The child’s mother herself went missing every now and then, as she was rushing to the washroom to blow her nose or expel a cough.
It’s in the air
Dr Rajesh Chel says he’s currently getting 10 to 12 patients a day with the aforementioned symptoms. “Some are coming for consultation, some I’m visiting at their homes, and some elderly patients are even hospitalised. Why, my own children brought home cough and cold, which my wife contracted and now I myself am coughing,” says the HB Block-based doctor attached to Parkview Super Speciality Hospital among others.
Another CD Block-based doctor was eager to share her experience with The Telegraph Salt Lake but till Wednesday was suffering from a terrible bout of flu herself and was unable to speak.
Dr Chel says there has been a surge in such patients since Christmas. “And I expect it to continue till around January 14. This is a window when the temperature dips but our bodies are unable to adapt fast enough,” he says.
Even Dr Sutapa Pal, of New Town’s DA Block, has been getting more such patients than usual. “People are more likely to catch the flu during season change than in high winter. Respiratory viruses and bacteria thrive in the cold and so even though cold drinks and ice creams don’t contain viruses, they create a comfortable atmosphere in the throat for them to get active,” says Pal, who is a consultant with the Tata group and sits at their various offices across the city, including two in Sector V.
Junior care
The most susceptible, perhaps, are the little ones. “Children typically suffer during winter and season change. This is because, till the age of five or six, their immunity is — not low but — naïve. Their bodies are learning and developing immunity against illnesses,” says pediatrician Dr Abhijit Sarkar, who sits at Heal Polyclinic in AD Block. “And the erratic weather this winter has made it all the more difficult.”
Sarkar says he’s been getting patients with influenza, who are recovering but returning three weeks later with some other similar illness. “But since these viruses are mild I’m trying not to give antibiotics,” he says. But the doctor urges parents not to send kids to school before they have fully recovered. “They end up infecting 10 other students who take the illness back home and infect their households,” Sarkar says.
Mask up again
Doctors are asking people to pull up their masks once again, though not necessarily against coronavius.
“The mask was never feasible for children even in the peak of the pandemic as they kept pulling them off, dropping and wearing them again…. All that leads to more complications,” says Sarkar. “Right now the threat of Covid is mild and it isn’t too serious in children. But it’s still a good idea to wear the mask as it will protect against dust and pollution, which is a major problem in winter.”
Dr Pal says she cannot repeat herself enough about masking up. “One must protect oneself by wearing a mask before entering crowded places this season. There’s no need to wear N95s; regular masks are good enough but avoid morning walks to protect from the poor air quality.”
Pal is against over-the-counter vitamin C supplements, but asks patients to have slices of lime every day, perhaps with dal, along with oranges.“Basil (tulsi) and honey soothe the throat too. Also keep washing hands, gurgling, inhaling steam…” she says.
Dr Sarkar turns the focus to an aspect that often goes unnoticed —indoor pollution. “While our city’s outdoor air quality is awful, also at risk are people living with smokers. Having said that, a single incense stick (dhup) does the damage of 20 cigarettes, so stay away when they burn. If you must light them, do it symbolically and quickly douse them. Also, avoid mosquito repellant coils and dhuno.”
He also warns against dust. “Makes sure to dust furniture, and change pillowcases and bed linen frequently. Soft toys that kids hug and sleep with are storehouses of dust and must be cleaned too,” Sarkar says.
Covid & more
A doctor from New Town goes off record to say that despite symptoms of the common cold and Covid overlapping, they are hardly asking patients to get tested anymore. “The WHO no longer terms it a public health emergency of international concern, the government is not encouraging tests and we doctors too have got lax. Out of 50 patients who showed symptoms this season, may be I asked 10 to get tested. Five actually went ahead and three tested positive for Covid,” he says.
The rest, he says, popped paracetamol till their fever stopped recurring. They didn’t care if it was Covid or the flu.
Dr Chel, who is a geriatric specialist, says that coughing or shortness of breath can also be a symptom of congestive heart failure, something many of his elderly patients are suffering from.
“The most common respiratory tract infections now are pharyngitis, uvulitis and tonsillitis. Those with jammed noses or heavy heads are often down with sinusitis; singers or those exposed to the cold at night are getting hoarse voices due to laryngitis. Those coughing severely when lying down are usually down with bronchitis,” he explains.
Most of these patients are recovering after a week with anti-allergics, antibiotics, or even by simply gurgling. “But anyone with comorbidities like asthma and COPD is getting acute exacerbation. Elderly patients with such symptoms run the risk of pneumonia and heart failure,” DrChel says.
