Winter rings in viral fever, cases of upper respiratory tract infections common in Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, Jan 18: With a sudden change in day temperature, the denizens are flocking to doctors with upper respiratory tract infections and high fever and city doctors said at least 50 per cent of all cases they are seeing are bronchitis, rhinitis and asthma cases among other respiratory symptoms.

Sources at nursing homes like Steel City Nursing Home, Rajasthan Seva Sadan and Life Line Nursing Home informed that they were treating at least 10 cases of flu and cough and cold on a daily basis.

There has been a jump in the number of people coming with running or blocked nose, sore throat and fever with body pains. “If a person has fever, sore throat and running nose along with severe leg pains they should also be checked for swine flu along with the usual cough and cold problems,” said a senior TMH doctor.

The dipping temperatures in the capital is triggering a spate of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URI) characterised by common cold, runny nose, nose block, high fever and body pains. General physicians maintain that URI in the twin cities are predominantly ‘viral’ in nature, implying that the treatment is purely based on symptoms.

Many have also advised high-risk groups, persons with co-morbid conditions like diabetes, heart and kidney ailments, children below five years and pregnant women can opt for flu shots. Physicians have also warned the public from unnecessary use of antibiotics while treating URI.

“If the high fever persists for more than a day or two and there is a change in colour of the sputum due to bacterial infection, then patients can opt for antibiotics. For the first few days, public can take antipyretics, which are the drugs generally used to deal with fever,” said Dr U K Srivastava

Doctors point out that URI are contagious and spread from person to person. “When people come in contact with airborne viruses, they catch a cold. Usually URI gets transmitted by poor hand washing practice. Hygiene like covering your face while sneezing and observing cough etiquette is a must,” he says. The decreasing temperatures also pose a threat to asthma patients who prefer to venture out in the wee hours for jogging or a walk. Doctors advise that it is better for asthma patients to avoid going out during early hours for walks. General public should take adequate measures to protect themselves from the biting cold and fog, doctors advise.