Spurt in waterborne diseases

Gurugram: With the arrival of monsoon, the number of patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and hepatitis has witnessed a sudden spurt. According to doctors, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of patients in July.

The doctors said such diseases increase during the monsoon because of warm and humid conditions in which harmful pathogen multiply fast in food. Avoiding eating food cooked in open and drinking only filtered water or boiled water can prevent catching infections. Experts also recommended having a healthy diet to boost immunity as frequent changes in temperature can make the body susceptible to infections.

The increase in the number of diarrhoea cases had prompted the district health department to again inform the citizens to refrain from consuming street food and unclean water. Taking into cognizance of the rise in a number of diarrhoea cases, a major programme on the preventive measures is slated to be launched from July onward when the monsoon starts. In order to cover a wider range of citizens, the public health officials also plan to rope in the services of Anganwadi workers. Medical experts highlight over 30 per cent of the diarrhoea cases in the city were due to the consumption of contaminated food and water.

Judging by past trends, there were a large number of minors and infants who were affected by the disease.