Delhi is currently experiencing a sudden outbreak of stomach flu, which may become alarming if not prevented now.
Young children and older adults with less immunity are in the danger of suffering from stomach flu more. In this article we will discuss about the current situation in Delhi and how effectively we can prevent it.
Stomach flu, also known as viral gastroenteritis, is generally caused by multiple viruses like rotavirus, norovirus, and enteroviruses. These are highly contagious in nature. The major causes of spreading stomach flu are consumption of contaminated food and water, maintaining close contact with a patient, and poor hygiene.
“In recent days, there has been a noticeable increase in patients coming to us in OPDs for cases such as flu, diarrhoea, viral fever, etc., which is estimated to be between 20 per cent to 30 per cent higher,” said Dr. Vandana Garg, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Max Hospital, Vaishali.
According to the hospital management, people are showing symptoms of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
According to Dr Rajeev Gupta, Director - Internal Medicine at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi: “While stomach flu cases are becoming more frequent in certain communities, they are typically self-limiting, resolving within a few days. but antibiotics are not effective against viruses and should not be used unless a bacterial infection is present”. He further said hospitalization rate is 6-7 cases everyday on average.
When a person is facing inflammation in gastrointestinal tract, the most common outcome is pain in the belly region. This may followed by extreme stomach cramps, dehydration, mild to high fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle pain, dry tongue, excessive thirst, lethargy, fatigue, and so on. In an adverse case, blood may come out of stool. These symptoms may not start in one day, it may take 2-3 days to develop. If you are facing any of these symptoms, immediately visit a doctor.
The first thing you must do if you are detected with stomach flu is calm yourself down. This is not an extremely serious disease. You just need to take some serious decisions about your food choice and hygiene. As dehydration is common in all patients, you must consume sufficient amount of water. You can also add electrolyte to it. One of the effective remedy is to take rest. Food items must be covered always and the patient must eat freshly prepared dishes. Yogurt is a must in this condition as prebiotics help in balancing the good and bad microorganisms inside the body. Papaya juice, ripe banana, grated apples are also effective for patients suffering from stomach flu. Drink 2-3 cups of cinnamon tea to get relief from cramps.
There is a long list you need to sacrifice id you are suffering from stomach flu. This includes caffeine, processed foods, cheese, butter, citrus fruits, sugary drinks, energy drinks, spicy food, ice cream and soft drinks.
If you are not suffering from stomach flu, then also, you must take precautions. Before consuming water outside, you must check the source. And also, avoid street foods which lead to numerous gastrointestinal diseases during seasonal changes. You can also ask to the restauranter which oil is being used during cooking. Before consumption of food, hands must be cleaned properly as unhygienic hands is a root cause of numerous diseases. Consume only freshly prepared food.
Gastroenterologists are suggesting that little awareness can prevent the spread of stomach flu. Further, they are recommending not to consume any antibiotics.
