Gastro cases on the rise along with temperature

Doctors urge people to avoid food and drink from the street

LAHORE: As the temperature in the provincial capital increased, so did the cases of gastroenteritis reported in different public hospitals. Doctors and medics said the situation was alarming and suggesting avoiding beverages being sold in open roadside eateries.

“Anyone consuming such beverages to quench their thirst in the scorching temperatures can easily end up falling prey to diseases such as gastroenteritis,” commented Mayo Hospital Senior Registrar Muhammad Shoaib.

He said that the people must do their utmost to avoid consuming such beverages. Shoaib added that a number of those admitted across hospitals had fallen sick after consuming such beverages.

While the situation at present was not dangerous, Shoaib said that the government must take steps to regularise those engaged in vending such drinks during the summer. “The government must crackdown on them,” he demanded.

He said that food poisoning was an illness caused by eating or drinking products which are contaminated by germs or toxins. Gastroenteritis is a gut infection with diarrhoea, tummy ache and sometimes vomiting. Diarrhoea is defined as 'loose or watery stools (feces), usually at least three times in 24 hours.

Dr. Usman Tayyab at Lahore General Hospital said that many types of germs can cause food poisoning, including bacteria, viruses and parasites.

He also complained that the lackadaisical attitude of authorities towards roadside eateries, junk food and unhygienic beverages has made gastritis a permanent feature at Lahore’s hospitals.

He said not a day goes by when doctors are not battling to save a patient from a potentially fatal gastritis ailment.

Roadside vendors offering chilled colourful beverages in the vicinity of schools, commercial hubs and recreation sites are not an uncommon sight across the city.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Mayo Hospital’s Dr Salman Kazmi says people consume unhygienic foods and drinks in spades, specially shakes and juices from the market.

“Dining out, takeaway, frozen and processed food options have already introduced a lot of uncertainty to our diet.” He adds that along with the lenient behaviour of the government towards manufacturers, people no longer care about how their food is prepared.

He advises the public to refrain from eating food which does not meet proper standards of hygiene.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2018.