Eye flu or conjunctivitis has spread exponentially across several states, prompting many governments to issue advisories to the people on dos and don’ts.
After Delhi, the latest state in the grip of the seasonal infection is Chhattisgarh, where close to 19,900 cases have been reported.
The state government on Friday issued instructions to education department officials to ensure children infected with eye flu are not sent to school in order to check its further spread. Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo, who also holds the health portfolio, told a press conference that instead of closing schools which would affect studies, the government had decided on asking students with the infection to stay indoors.
People take three to seven days to recover from the infection that is accompanied by redness and itching in the eye. The facility of eye testing and treatment of conjunctivitis has been made available free of cost in medical colleges, district hospitals, community health centers and primary health centres.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, hospitals have been reporting nearly 100 cases every day. Doctors at both government and private hospitals in the NCR region said that they had been receiving cases largely from the younger population. They warned people that the highly contagious infection needed proper hygiene to prevent its spread. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Delhi government-run hospitals are on alert to deal with cases of conjunctivitis, fungal infections and vector-borne diseases.
Maharashtra too is reeling under the effect of surging conjunctivitis. The state saw a whooping 87,761 cases in July, according to public health department data.
Some health experts said it must be considered as a health emergency, if thousands are suffering from the infectious disease. They also advised people to visit doctors, even if mild symptoms surfaced.
Gujarat has recorded 2.17 lakh cases of conjunctivitis since June, according to Health Minister Rushikesh Patel. He also said the state had enough medicine to treat the infection. However, the numbers have declined in the last few days.
This week, Jammu also saw a sudden rise in cases of conjunctivitis, with nearly 3,000 infections reported.
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