The fluctuating weather has led many people to fall sick.
Doctors said a good number of people are turning up at their clinics with fever and cough. Though the fever is mostly subsiding in a day or two, the cough is persisting for a week or more.
The temperature fluctuations — a cool morning, followed by a warm afternoon and again a cool night — are making viruses more active and increasing the chances of infection, said a doctor.
A south Kolkata resident said he had been suffering from an irritation in his throat for the last few days. On Sunday, he developed a runny nose and cough.
“I was feeling feverish, though the thermometer readings did not show any fever. There is still a nip in the air in the early morning and going out without adequate protection might have resulted in the illness,” the man said.
A resident of Behala said his seven-year-old daughter has a runny nose. “We will not send her to school on Monday to prevent any aggravation of the condition,” the girl’s father said.
Amitabha Saha, a critical care expert, said his OPD clinic was filled with patients with a runny nose, fever and cough.
“These are mostly upper respiratory tract infections. The temperature fluctuations could be aiding the infections. A fluctuation in temperature increases the replication of viruses and the possibility of infections,” said Saha, the head of critical care at AMRI Hospitals, Mukundapur.
“Those who have a hyper-reactive airway are falling sick faster. The footfall in the OPD has gone up recently,” said Saha.
Chandramouli Bhattacharya, an infectious disease specialist at Peerless Hospital, said there has been a jump in the number of patients at his clinic with similar complaints.
“A couple of them, elderly persons, required hospital admission. Though the infections are self-limiting in the majority of the patients, it is taking a severe turn in some people, mostly the elderly,” said Bhattacharya.
In the last seven to 10 days, he has also come across patients who are not running a temperature but are suffering from a persistent cough.
“The cough is continuing for a week or more,” he said.
Paediatrician Apurba Ghosh said his clinic was flooded with children suffering from viral fever. “For the last two weeks, many children have been coming to the clinic with viral infections,” he said.
Some of the children have tested positive for the adenovirus and a handful of them for para-influenza viruses, said Ghosh.
“In a couple of children, the infection spread to the lower respiratory tract. At least one of them is in need of intensive care,” he said.
