India
Sharp change in Delhi weather poses viral flu threat
By IANS
Jan 19, 2006, 15:23

The sharp reversal of cold wave conditions in Delhi may have brought relief to residents but it has also made them more vulnerable to seasonal illnesses like viral flu.

While Delhi recorded a minimum of 0.2 degrees Celsius (7 degrees below normal) Jan 8, just over a week later the temperature reached 11.6 degrees (five degree above normal) Tuesday morning.

Doctors have asked people to be careful about the weather change.

"There is a sudden rise in the temperature and residents are finding it tough to acclimatise to the change. As a result, a number of health problems like viral flu and bad throat conditions have started," said S. Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.

"People who are coming for treatment are suffering from the above symptoms and I can say that it's the bad weather that is affecting the immune system of people," Chatterjee told IANS.

He suggested that people should not keep aside their woollens, nor resort to antibiotics.

"This is a tough season and people in the capital have started complaining about bad throats and seasonal flu. We advise residents to be careful about their food and drinks," said K.N. Tiwari, chief medical health officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials have predicted that the national capital will continue to have a cloudy sky for the next 48 hours, which means a further rise in the minimum temperature.

"The national capital will have a cloudy sky and the minimum temperature will hover around 11 degrees Celsius over the next two days," said a Met official.

While many residents are happy that the chill is gone, some are complaining.

"You can neither put on too many woollens nor do away with them completely. The humidity level seems to have gone up in the last couple of days," said Santosh Patra, a university student.

All rights reserved by www.rxpgnews.com