PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Nainital
Shifting weather, fluctuating temperatures and rising humidity are weakening people’s immunity in the Nainital district. Residents are increasingly falling ill with viral fevers, coughs, colds, typhoid, diarrhea, stomach aches, and jaundice.
The Government-run BD Pandey District Hospital has been witnessing a sudden surge in the number of patients suffering from stomach-related diseases. “These days, a large number of such patients is thronging the hospital’s OPD,” informed a senior physician at the State-run health facility, Dr Mahiman Singh Dugtal. The doctors opined that carelessness regarding food and water during the rainy season might have caused these stomach- related diseases.
“Aside from those who come with viral fever and cough and cold, patients suffering from jaundice, diarrhoea, typhoid and abdominal pain are constantly arriving at the hospital. Additionally, many patients are reporting pain in their arms and feet, tingling sensations and general weakness. Some patients are even being admitted to the hospital for treatment,” Dr Dugtal added.
He advised people to take special precautions during the rainy season. “They should drink clean water, and, if possible, boil it before drinking. Besides, openly sold unhygienic food items should be avoided. Food should be eaten fresh and there should be no negligence regarding the cleanliness of water and food,” he cautioned.
Patients undergoing treatment in the hospital said that the quirky weather has been triggering several health issues. One of them, Hitesh Kumar said that he was suffering from fever, headache, stomach ache, body stiffness and dizziness. “After one villager caught a fever, others started showing similar symptoms,” he added.
Another patient Hem Chandra Joshi ascribed the current spell of illness to the water supplied by the government department. “About 20 children of a prominent residential school located in the Veerbhatti area of the city were found to have symptoms of jaundice and diarrhoea, after which the school was closed. Even small children faced issues like infection and jaundice, due to which they had to be admitted to the hospital,” he stated.
