As the city continues to reel under the heat and water crisis reaches peak proportions, doctors in the city are beginning to see cases of viral fever and diarrhoea. While there is no spurt as yet, doctors are cautioning residents to ensure that their water is safe for use. The Chennai Corporation too has stepped up measures to control water-borne diseases with status checks at water points across the city.

“With the holidays just having ended and a lot of people coming back from travel and eating out, we are seeing about four to five cases of diarrhoea per day. The numbers have gone up in the past week,” said Padma Appaji, consultant paediatrician, Vijaya Group of Hospitals, stressing the importance of hand hygiene. At Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, about 10 to 15 cases per day are being seen.

“Whether you buy your water or use a water filter, we are advising patients to boil the water before use. The water should be kept at boiling point for at least 10 minutes and then cooled,” said S. Sivaramakannan, senior consultant physician at Kauvery Hospital, where one or two case of diarrhoea are coming in every day. “Contaminated water and unhygienic practices are the main causes,” he said.

At Government Royapettah Hospital too, there have been four or five cases of viral fever coming in each day. “Drinking and eating outside could be the reasons for this. We are also seeing a few cases of heat stroke per day, especially among the elderly who get severely dehydrated,” said a doctor at the hospital.

In order to check water safety and ensure no water-borne diseases spread, the Chennai Corporation along with the Metrowater, has, in the last three days, inspected 1,680 water points across all 200 wards in the city, a senior official said.

“The water points include public fountains, tanks and water tankers and lorries. We lifted 405 samples for testing. Residual chlorine levels were checked at all points and we found a problem at only 14 points,” he said. These 14 areas have been listed and Metrowater has been informed to ensure chlorine levels are corrected, he said.