KATHMANDU, Aug 25: Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of the Department of Health Services (DoHS) said that hospitals across the country are seeing a surge in the flow of patients with viral fever over the last few weeks.

Officials blamed changing weather condition for the spike in the infection rate and have urged all to take extra precautions, especially in case of children, to avoid the infection.

“Hospitals throughout the country have been reporting a rise in viral fever cases,” Dr Gunanidhi Sharma, chief of epidemiology section at the CHD, said. He said that subtype H2N3 and H1N1 of Influenza 'A' virus is responsible for the rising viral fever cases.

Doctors say that viral infection is associated with elevation of body temperature. They said that viral fever may show general symptoms but may hit specific organs. Headache, body ache, skin rash are the most common symptoms of the viral fever. In most cases the infection are not dangerous, while in other cases the infection can also lead to death.

Dr Krishna Prasad Poudel, a pediatrician at Kanti Children Hospital, who is also the former head of the Child Health Division, asked the relatives of patients to give normal paracetamol and take adequate liquid foods, bed rest, keep warm and avoid crowded places. Dr Poudel has urged people to consult doctors if the fever continues to rise.

“Cases of viral fever and other waterborne diseases like jaundice, typhoid and cholera are on the rising trend,” he said, adding that one should take extra precautionary measures to prevent infections.

According to Dr Poudel, patients having low immunity like renal and cardiac patients, elderly and underage children are at the high risk of viral fever infection.

Symptoms
High fever,
Body ache
Muscle ache
Running nose
Skin rash
Cough

 
• viral fever
 
• rises
 
• epidemiology and disease control division