Nearly 800 eye flu cases at ESI hospital in 10 days

Aparna Banerji

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Jalandhar, August 4

While the Civil Hospital Jalandhar is already flooded with eye flu cases, the cases being reported at the ESI Hospital here have surpassed those at the Civil Hospital. In the past less than a fortnight, 700 to 800 cases of conjunctivitis have been reported at the ESI hospital.

Almost all of these cases are being reported among factory workers and their families, which hints at an epidemic of eye flu amidst factory workers of Jalandhar. In the last 10 days, thousands of factory workers and their children have reported to the ESI hospital with eye flu.

Of the collective OPD at the hospital, 95 per cent of the cases comprise of eye flu or conjunctivitis.

In the last 10 days, the eye OPD at the ESI hospital approximately receiving 100 patients a day, of these 90 or more (on two-three days as many as 95 patients) had eye flu.

Meanwhile, 10 to 15 per cent of these eye flue cases comprise children, some of them as small as 2-3 years old.

While factory workers get free treatment at the ESI hospital, majority of them report there. Doctors said while the severity of the disease increased as temperature dipped and humidity rose, the rise in temperature for the past two-three days has caused reduction in severity of the cases. .

Dr Arun Verma, SMO (eye), ESI Hospital, Jalandhar, said, “Approximately 500 patients have been diagnosed with eye flu in the last seven days and in past 10 days, the numbers go up to 700 to 800 at ESI hospital. All were given free eye drops from the hospital. Awareness is the key to prevent the spread of flu like situation. Patients and their kin should maintain hygiene; infected persons should not share bed linens/ pillows/ towels with others and people should avoid going to crowded places/markets.”

Dr Arun added, “2-3 days ago, with lesser temperatures the severity was much more but with increase in mercury the severity has come down, though the frequency of the cases still stays the same. The frequency of the infection was much more than previous years. The flood situation and pan-India infections added to the problem.”

He said, “10 to 15 per cent of OPD comprises children and some are even 2-3 year-old who don’t even go to school.” Notably, the conjunctivitis is an infection of the conjunctiva (a membrane/layer which covers the white part of the eye (Sclera) and the inner side of the eye lids.)

Speaking about increased severity, Dr Verma said, “Very swollen eyelids or yellow discharge were the most severe symptoms which too, subsided within five days with medicine. Though corneal infection is a possibility in very severe cases, no such patient has been reported with us.”