Hospitals see spike in stomach flu cases across cities – Here's why

Key points

• There is a sharp rise in patients seeking urgent medical care for stomach infections, also called summer diarrhoea, clinicians in several hospitals across cities say, as much of India reports scorching levels of temperatures ranging from 40-46 degree Celsius.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heatwave warnings for northern and central Indian states due to severe heatwave conditions.
• States like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Delhi-NCR have been reporting above normal day temperatures, while the nighttime temperatures have also been uncomfortably high.
• High humidity combined with high temperatures creates favourable conditions for viruses to survive, explained Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, internal medicine specialist at Apollo Hospitals.
• He said that exposure to food-borne illnesses also increases as food spoils faster in extreme heat.