Lahore Hospitals See Sharp Rise in Gastroenteritis Patients

Major hospitals in Lahore have reported a sharp increase in gastroenteritis patients, with Mayo Hospital facing an unusual rush of people suffering from severe complications.

Mayo Hospital senior medical consultant Dr. Salman Kazmi said doctors were treating a large number of gastroenteritis patients, including people with kidney failure, stroke, low blood pressure and complications from diarrhea and dehydration. He said every medical unit at the hospital was dealing with unusually long queues.

Lahore General Hospital has also seen an increase in stomach infection cases. A hospital spokesperson said many of the hospitalized patients were children and linked the rise to the recent heavy rains in Lahore.

Jinnah Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have also reported a spike in gastroenteritis patients. However, Services Hospital Principal Prof. Zohra said her hospital had not experienced any unusual increase in diarrhea or gastroenteritis cases.

Former Shaikh Zayed Hospital senior consultant Dr. Mohammad Arshad said major hospitals had faced a rush of patients with gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting and fever for around two weeks. He said contaminated food and water could contribute to the increase during the monsoon season.

Dr. Kazmi said the unusual rise in severe cases at Mayo Hospital required an epidemiological investigation. He also expressed concern that the situation could indicate a cholera outbreak and called for health authorities to investigate the cases.