With the changing weather, major hospitals in the capital are witnessing an increase in the number of patients infected with seasonal diseases such as cough, runny nose, body ache and viral fever etc.
Outpatient departments (OPDs) of major public hospitals including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Polyclinic are flooded with patients suffering from viral infections, cough, flu, body ache and common cold.
Data collected by Pakistan Today suggests that Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims) is receiving an average of 150 to 200 patients every 24 hours, an increase of up to 50 per cent, whereas Polyclinic also saw a 30 to 35 per cent increase in the number of patients.
PIMS Hospital Spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja said that since the recent rains there had been an increase in the number of patients from 100 to over 200 per day.
Dr Waseem said that the changing weather was one of the major reasons behind this increase in the number of patients, adding that minors and elderly people were most at risk during this season. He said that with proper precautions, risk of infection could be decreased.
The hospital spokesperson advised people to take preventive measures while going out early in the morning or after sunset. He said that avoiding junk food, ice creams and cold drinks could also lower risk of disease.
A senior physician at PIMS said about the prevalence of the infectious diseases, “To me it seems as if every third person in Islamabad is suffering from seasonal flu.”
Dr Khurram Ghuman, a physician at Polyclinic, told Pakistan Today that the number of people suffering from seasonal diseases would increase manifold in the coming months. “Rising level of pollution in Islamabad is also a major reason behind the increasing number of patients,” Dr Khurram said.
Ramzan Khaleeq, a salesman at a drug store in G-8 Markaz, said that during the last couple of weeks there had been an increase in the sale of medication for common flu, cough and allergies. “Mostly people purchase cough syrups and anti allergy drugs meant for infants. Sale of simple pain killers has also increased”, he said.