KARACHI, May 6: Hospitals and physicians accept that there is an increase in the number of cases of gastroenteritis in the city, but maintain that it is nothing unusual in the hot and humid weather.

They said that people should avoid taking spoilt food and drink and exposure to heat for long periods as these could cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Parents should pay special attention to their younger children and restrict them from taking ill-prepared cold drinks and ice-lollies, they suggested.

The medical superintendent of Civil Hospital Karachi, Dr Kaleem Butt, said that his hospital received 864 and 892 cases of gastroenteritis in February and March respectively this year, but the number soared to 1,478 with the advent of summer in April. These days, on average 30-35 patients per day, with the history of diarrhoea and vomiting, are reporting, he added saying that situation was all manageable and could not be attributed to any epidemic outbreak.

Gastroenteritis patients are being brought to CHK from areas like Lyari, Chakiwara, Shershah, Keamari, Orangi, Nazimabad, some parts of which have got poor water and sanitation system and experience the episodes of contamination as well from time to time, said another doctor.

It was learnt that so far any major collapse in patients had not been witnessed due to gastroenteritis. Doctors who were contacted by Dawn said that most of the gastro-patients were discharged from the hospitals the same day.

A medical officer at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital said that there was not any unusual situation as he received 4-5 in his shift of 7 hours, but none in any critical condition. So far we have seen a seasonal situation, he remarked.

Dr Iqbal Memon, vice-president of Pakistan Paediatric Association, said that he was in touch with physicians and paediatrics at the CHK and others practicing in Kharadar, Bhempura, Nazimabad and other parts of the city and could say that there was no unusual development. However, he warned that people, among other precautions, should also consume boiled water and not take overripe fruits.

Though doctors did not find situation ‘very much alarming’, they suggested the water supply and sewerage agencies to maintain optimum measures for abetting contamination of drinking water at every level.

A few of the doctors and specialists blamed that the increase in number of gastro cases in the interior of Sindh was all because people consumed unsafe drinking water.

“Careless supply and consumption of substandard drinking water is not an unusual thing in Karachi as well, as we have been reading about the problem in one part of the city or other, which was mainly due to unchecked dilapidated sewer or old eroded and faulty water lines, one of the doctors expressed the view.