NEW DELHI: Paediatric OPDs at many hospitals in Delhi and its neighbouring cities are seeing a rise in footfall of patients suffering from viral fever and prolonged cough, with some doctors saying erratic weather patterns over the last two weeks might have provided a “conducive atmosphere” for the spread of viruses.
Many parents said infants are also unable to cope with changing weather conditions. Delhi has been experiencing cloudy weather and sporadic rainfall for the last 17 days, which is rare during this time of the year. May has been historically the hottest month in the national capital, with a mean maximum temperature of 39.5 degrees Celsius.
Officials attribute this to back-to-back western disturbances, weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India. Other cities in the National Capital Region such as Noida and Ghaziabad have also experienced similar weather patterns over the last several days. Paediatricians at many hospitals and clinics in Delhi said their OPDs (outdoor patient departments) are seeing a rise in footfall of children, most with viral infection symptoms of fever and prolonged cough, and some with congestion in the chest.
A paediatrician at Rainbow Hospital in south Delhi said that many children are coming to the OPD with influenza-like symptoms, and the ailment is getting prolonged in many cases. “Since March, my daughter is not well and has been exhibiting viral infection symptoms at regular intervals. My son too is not in best of his health for the past few weeks."
"As the weather pattern is changing, we get mixed up as to which season we are in, summer, winter or spring. And, sometimes we turn on fans, and then it rains and it gets cold suddenly. Children are finding it difficult to cope,” said Delhi-based Kanika, a working mother of twin children — a boy and a girl, who will turn two soon.
Their paediatrician said many children are getting recurrent infections too, she said. Dr Prabhat Saxena, a Ghaziabad-based paediatrician, said whenever weather pattern changes, leading to fluctuation in temperature, it provides a “conducive atmosphere” for the growth of viruses.
