Bangalore sitting on epidemic time bomb?

Bangalore sitting on epidemic time bomb?
The Times of India

Bangalore: The citizens of Bangalore patiently coped with the rain. Now, they will have to tackle yet another serious threat — all kinds of ailments and the fear of an epidemic outbreak.

All across the city, patients with symptoms of fever, cough, cold and diarrhoea lined up outside clinics and in hospitals. The receding rain water is causing a major health calamity in the city. Health authorities, however, are maintaining that there has been no serious illness due to water-borne disease yet.

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Health Officer Dr Thandavamoorthy said two cases of gastroenteritis were reported. “We are ready with drugs and facilities to tackle all water-borne diseases. But the situation is not bad yet. There are no cases of cholera or any other disease. The epidemic diseases hospital has not reported anything so far,’’ he said.

However, doctors in the city say they have been seeing symptoms of several water-borne diseases and many say the city is sitting on a time bomb and “an epidemic is only waiting to happen’’. Though there are no statistics, the large number of people at clinics and hospitals gives an indication of this fear.

Said general physician Dr Ramana Rao, senior consultant at Mallya Hospital. “We have already begun getting instances of gastroenteritis and suspected cases of cholera and leptospirosis. We are awaiting laboratory results.’’

Water-borne diseases, said Dr B J Mahindra, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, is the general term used to denote diseases associated with poor water quality. Rain and floods are major causes, he pointed out. “This is because there are often significant problems like overflowing drains, leaking water pipes apart from population displacement leading to lack of basic hygiene and complete compromise in water quality,’’ he said.

Water-logged roads become breeding grounds for vector-borne disease such as malaria, dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. “Clean food and water can prevent them. It is advisable not to ignore symptoms,’’ he said. The BMP has urged the BWSSB to increase the chlorine content in water to avoid contamination. It has also urged hotels to provide boiled water. ‘‘It’s your right to demand boiled water in any hotel, or eatery.’’

Ensure these

•Avoid eating out.

•Eat only freshly cooked food.

•Drink boiled water.

•Don’t stock water for more than a day. They can become mosquito breeding grounds.

•Don’t ignore symptoms. Don’t self medicate.

•Rush to a doctor in case of vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, bodyache or fatigue.