As temperatures soar, Bengaluru sees more gastroenteritis cases

There is an uptick in gastroenteritis cases in the city, say doctors, who cited food poisoning and summer weather as the main reasons.

Peadiatrician Dr Shivaprakash Sosale says 40-50 per cent of OPD patients in his clinic come with complaints similar to gastroenteritis.

“Of 25 cases, 10 to 12 are gastroenteritis. Children come with diarrhoea, abdominal cramping and vomiting. The spike in cases started 10 days ago.”

Doctors say that the rise is expected in warm weather because bacteria multiplies quickly. Also, a large number of people travel and eat out during the summer. “Majority of the cases are because of food poisoning. And we see more cases on Monday because people eat out over the weekend,” says pediatrician Dr Rajath Athreya.

There were very few cases of gastroenteritis in February, but now it contributes to 25 per cent of his OPD cases, says Dr Athreya. He also saw four to five cases of typhoid in March.

Foods to avoid

“People should avoid pastry with icing as they may be touched with contaminated hands and not well-refrigerated enough to kill bacteria.

“Also, takeaway food should be eaten quickly instead of being refrigerated and reheated later,” Dr Athreya says.

While most cases of gastroenteritis resolve on their own, some patients who come with fever and blood in the stool would require antibiotics, says Dr Athreya. “Of the patients coming here, around 10 per cent need hospitalisation. In very young children, short-term hospitalisation may be needed for rehydration.”

Dr Sosale says that complications from dehydration, such as seizures and kidney injury, are more likely in children who have underlying issues like malnutrition. Populations like elderly and pregnant women are also more vulnerable to complications.

BMCRI professor Dr Ashok M L says on average, he sees one adult patient with gastroenteritis daily now. And also one typhoid case per week. “People should drink only boiled water, and avoid eating from outside, especially cut fruits.”