Hyderabad: With no Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing kits available to detect any cases, Dr Anil Kumar, Professor General, Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical Diseases, said that there are no cases of the Norovirus in the Old City.
When the COVID-19 pandemic was first reported, nobody had any idea of the scale of how it would spread in the world. While the governments initially ignored the World Health Organisation (WHO), they later were forced to follow its advice, even though it was too late.
In the case of the Norovirus issue, while doctors from the Old City of Hyderabad are convinced that the virus is spreading, the government however seems to be averse.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had enough RT-PCR kits, but as of now, we don’t. Unless something is declared as endemic, the chances of procurement of RT-PCR kits are low. In the case of Norovirus, presently it is not designated as an endemic,” Professor Anil observed.
While doctors from hospitals across the city report very similar symptoms, the government continues to deny cases of Norovirus despite limited testing.
Symptoms similar to Norovirus in patients: Fever Hospital
Abdul Mateen, 15, a resident of Nampally, and a ‘serial street food’ consumer, was admitted to Fever Hospital two weeks ago and was discharged after being treated in three days. His mother told Siasat.com that it had become an annual affair for her son to get admitted there, as he was fond of street food, which is prone to contamination. She was all praise for the healthcare services rendered at the hospital.
Sridhar, 40, was another patient with a similar cause of hospitalisation in the same ward (diarrhoea), which has had an average occupancy of around 70 percent since the monsoons began.
A doctor at the hospital, who chose to remain unnamed, stated that there were a few patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus infection, who were being admitted.
However, the doctor couldn’t give an accurate count of the number of cases. They did point out that the symptoms in Norovirus cases were marked with high fever, vomiting and other symptoms that were similar to other instances of gastroenteritis.
Professor Anil Kumar informed Siasat.com that there were anywhere between 14 to 20 cases of gastroenteritis admitted in Fever Hospital on average per day.
The Fever Hospital in Hyderabad generally treats patients with infectious diseases.
‘Jatara’ of patients with stomach-related illnesses at OGH
A look at Osmania General Hospital’s (OGH) gastroenterology and nephrology outpatient (OP) block, every Monday and Thursday reminds one of the kind of crowd seen at Nampally Exhibition Ground during the annual industrial exhibition.
Most of the patients coming in are from the Old City, with a majority of them having symptoms of stomach-related illnesses. During the interaction with the patients, Siasat.com found that most of them had consumed “contaminated street food.”
No testing done for Norovirus: Osmania Medical College lab
At the Osmania General Hospital, the samples of patients from the hospital are sent to the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Osmania Medical College for testing. However, when Siasat.com reached out to the OMC laboratory, they initially stated that none of the samples were found positive for Norovirus.
However, when this reporter met the researchers at the laboratory, they informed that a maximum number of samples were being tested for dengue and chikungunya, but not for Norovirus presently. They added that there were no RT-PCR kits available with them.
With limited testing, no cases says DPH
The director of public health Dr B Ravinder Nayak has however been repeatedly issuing statements to the media urging people not to believe in rumours about the spread of Norovirus. Although he has categorically stated that no samples were found positive for the virus, no other information, about the number of tests conducted, or other details has been provided.
Siasat.com had earlier reported that Norovirus cases had been identified in the Old City after speaking to a consultant general physician from Princess Durru Shehvar Children’s and General Hospital, Dr Fawad Ali. The public health department however issued a show cause notice to the hospital.
Dr Ravinder Nayak in his statements however did underline that the symptoms for stomach-related illnesses were similar adding that patients suffering from such seasonal illnesses were being cured within three days.
No food samples tested: ICMR-NIN
Siasat.com contacted the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) to inquire whether any food samples were being tested at the central government institution, in light of the increasing cases of gastroenteritis in the Old City.
Dr Subba Rao, who currently heads the Nutrition Information, Communication and Health Education, informed this reporter that the food safety wing of the premier institution was presently not conducting any testing of street food for the viruses.
Meanwhile, Dr Fawad Ali stated that patients requiring dialysis were the ones most affected due to gastroenteritis caused by the Norovirus (complicated gastroenteritis with acute kidney injury).
Dialysis patients at risk
Fever Hospital, which does have a facility for isolating patients with infectious diseases, doesn’t have a dialysis centre. The OGH, which does have a dialysis center doesn’t have the facility for isolating the patients.
Owing to this lack of facilities, Dr Fawad Ali stated that most of these patients were going to private hospitals in the Old City with symptoms of gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus.
Due to the apparent disconnect between various institutions, gastroenteritis cases in government and private hospitals are being passed off as a seasonal illness which will eventually settle down like the inundated colonies of Hyderabad during heavy rains every monsoon season.
Every other doctor and scientist Siasat.com has spoken to, has said that eating street food and adulterated food is the only cause for these seasonal rises in gastroenteritis cases. It is to be seen if the government does eventually try to dig deeper and see if there is in fact an endemic of the Norovirus.
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