Hyderabad sees rise in flu cases as temperatures drop

These viral fever cases are being reported to clinics with symptoms of fever, sometimes high fever, body aches, headaches, fatigue, weakness, runny nose or total nasal congestion and lethargy.

Hyderabad: The drop in temperatures across Hyderabad and its neighboring districts has triggered a sharp rise in upper respiratory tract infections, especially influenza cases in the last one week or so. Private nursing homes, clinics, Basthi Dawakhanas and outpatient (OP) wings of tertiary hospitals including Fever Hospital at Nallakunta, Gandhi Hospital and OGH are registering a steady rise in cases of seasonal flu cases.

Typically, these viral fever cases are being reported to clinics with symptoms of fever, sometimes high fever, body aches, headaches, fatigue, weakness, runny nose or total nasal congestion and lethargy.

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Apart from viral fevers, the dip in temperatures also is causing a surge in bouts of asthma among chronic patients. Based on the data available with Allergy and Asthma Network of India (AANI), winters are known to cause a 40 per cent rise in cases of allergies and Asthma. A majority of these allergies are related to upper respiratory tract infections, doctors said.

“Essentially, during winter airways of the lungs tighten, resulting in more aggressive unpredictable Asthmatic attacks. There is enough data indicating that during winters, the house dust mites and moulds trigger allergic reactions among vulnerable people,” says CEO of AANI and allergy specialist, Dr. Vyakaranam Nageshwar.

Several family physicians and general practitioners from private clinics have also indicated that they have noticed a rise in respiratory tract infections among patients during the ongoing winter season. There has been a 50 percent to 60 percent rise of infections related to upper respiratory tract infections including viral cold.

Most common complaints in patients are cold, cough, fever and shortness of breath. Individuals with co-morbid conditions like chronic heart condition, kidney ailments, liver disease, BP etc can get themselves vaccinated under medical guidance.