Fever cases on the rise in Gzb; not Covid, say doctors
Doctors said these are seasonal flu cases, but Covid-19 testing is recommended to all
GHAZIABAD: Ghaziabad is seeing a spike in the number of viral fever cases, unrelated to Covid-19, with several doctors saying these were cases of the seasonal flu.
The district health department said there has been about up to 20% spike in such fever cases, affecting both adults and children. There has, however, been no flu-related death in the district, they added.
“In our out-patient department (OPD), we are getting about 100 patients a day who report with high fever, runny nose, cough and other symptoms,” said Dr Sanjay Teotia, chief medical superintendent of Sanjay Nagar District Combined Hospital.
“Of the 100, 40-45 are children.
We ensure that patients coming with fever and other symptoms are tested for Covid as well. However, none has yet tested positive for Covid-19.”
The fever generally subsided
within 4-5 days, although in some cases, it took a few days longer, he added.
“These days, viral fever cases are 10-20% of daily cases as against 2-4% on other days. We
get our patients tested for Covid-19 as well as for H1N1 (swine flu) as a precaution,” said Dr Ashish Agarwal, president of Indian Medical Association (Ghaziabad chapter). “It is vital to consult a doctor if one has fever and patients should get adequate hydration and nutrition besides taking bed rest.”
The district surveillance officials said that they are keeping an eye on these cases.
“It has been about a fortnight since fever cases started spiking and it could be due to seasonal changes. As a precautionary measure, we have asked hospitals to get fever patients tested for Covid as well,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, district surveillance officer.
He said there were seven Covid cases reported in the district on Monday, and these included two old cases which were transferred from Gautam Budh Nagar.
“The other five cases are of two families who travelled together to Ladakh and tested positive for Covid-19 upon their return. Two of the five cases are of a family from Delhi while three cases are of a Ghaziabad family. We have directed for genome-sequencing of the three cases and have strictly asked them to stay in isolation,” Dr Gupta added.