Hyderabad: Viral fever patients throng hospitals

Hyderabad: More than 300 cases of viral fever with pain in joints, ankles, knees and shoulder joints have been reported in Yapral, Alwal, RK Puram and Kushiguda areas. In the last three weeks, children as well as adults have been flocking to hospitals complaining of high fever and joint pains.

Senior orthopaedic surgeon at Vijaya Hospital, Dr Chandra Shekar explained, “Patients are coming in with severe pain in the joints like knees, ankles and even shoulder joints. Some of them have to be admitted as their fever is too high and the pain is unbearable and require medical management.”

The Ig Chikungunya blood test will be  carried out if the fever and pain do not subside in two or three days.

Senior general physician at Apollo Hospitals, Dr Anish Anand said, “Joint pains are experienced in all types of fevers. So the tests for Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya are carried out only if the pain is severe. The fever this year is caused due to the unhygienic conditions. Heavily crowded places and increasing vehicular pollution are also believed to be the reasons for the fever.”

The diseases will have to be notified to local municipal offices and district medical and health officials.

Experts said that they were not asking all patients to carry out the tests as it was expensive. Only those cases, where the fever did not subside and the pain was very severe, were being recommended for tests.

Senior physician Dr G Srinivas said, “Most of these viral fevers and body pain can be controlled if there is proper rest, sufficient intake of liquid and a balanced diet. Rest is very important as it helps to deal with the pain and also control the load of the virus. These measures make it self-limiting. If the pain does not subside in two days and the fever continues to be high then there is need for higher management.”

Despite insufficient rains in the city, stagnation of water was witnessed in  residential colonies of these areas due to the damaged sewage pipeline. Leakage of sewage water on the roads is a major concernwhich resulted in excessive mosquito breeding.

The unhygienic conditions add to the burden as waste water and household waste lying for a day on the roads attracts mosquitoes.