Pilgrims suffering from medical problems after returning from Prayagraj: Senior doctor
Senior doctor advises people to wear mask and maintain distance at Mahakumbh mela
New Delhi: Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said they were definitely seeing people with medical problems who are coming back from Mahakumbh mela at Prayagraj where so many people are taking a dip in the water.
Referring to Faecal bacteria in Ganga at Prayagraj, he said, “We would expect that this would happen. The number of people who are coming with medical problems is much less as compared to the volume of people that are going over there. That way, I think the control is very good, but yes, people are definitely coming with something like what we call gastroenteritis, where they're having loose motions, vomiting, and all that.”
According to him, the pilgrims are having a fever of unspecific or unspecified origin. Most probably, they're viral fevers that are happening. Quite a few people are suffering from respiratory tract infections, like a runny nose, sneezing, cough, and cold, which is obviously very common.
“When you go to such a crowded place, and then you take a dip, which might be at 3 a.m. in the morning, you can get exposed to this cold...People should carry their own water, maybe water from home or maybe bottles of water, and they should drink water from a good place or carry their own bottles,” he said.
He further stated that the second thing was to eat food from a healthy place and eat cooked food rather than raw food. Wear a mask and try to keep people at a distance. Do not drink water while taking a dip in the river, he said.