MUMBAI, Aug. 1 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run Shatabdi Hospital, in Kandivali, receives 30 patients every day in its fever OPD, which was made operational from June 1. To accommodate the numbers, the hospital has increased its bed capacity from 105 to 180. Likewise, cases of respiratory and gastrointestinal flu have increased from one in two weeks to eight in that span now at Saifee Hospital, Charni Road. "Given the spike in the number of flu patients, apart from regular wards, we have also started moving patients with fever to others such as orthopaedic, surgery etc," said Dr Ajay Gupta, medical superintendent of Shatabdi Hospital. Almost two months into the monsoon season, doctors in the city have witnessed a surge in flu cases-both respiratory and gastrointestinal-a seasonal streak attributed mainly to the quality of food and water in the city. Goregaon resident Dhiraj Singh, 44, has just recovered from a bout of fever with severe joint pain accompanied by exhaustion. "My platelets had reduced from 2 lakh to 1.1 lakh," he said. His treating doctor attributed the flu to consuming outside food and water, which Singh said, is unavoidable as he has a field job. "How much water can you carry," he said, adding he has opted to work from home for some time. Malad-based professional Ajay Bhat, said three out of six from his team at work are suffering from flu. Bhat himself has recently recovered from fever with pain in his limbs, exhaustion and even heaviness of the chest. However, instead of seeing a doctor, he dashed to the nearest medical store where he was informed many others were showing similar symptoms. "I was advised to simply hydrate myself with ORS, which improved my health considerably," he said. Lokhandwala-based private general physician Dr Chetan Kothari sees at least three patients every day with complaints of fever accompanied by abdominal heaviness and gripping pain. "The annual phenomenon is witnessed at this time of the year, and it stems from people consuming contaminated food," he said. "The most common infection we are seeing right now is that of influenza, where patients complain of sudden onset of high fever, chills, cold and cough. We are seeing many cases of gastrointestinal infections, where patients complain of abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and loose motions," said Dr Tanu Singhal, infectious disease specialist from Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute (KDAHMRI). "There are mild strains of Covid as well. Apart from this, cases of dengue, malaria and typhoid have also started coming." Dr Singhal recommends flu vaccines by April or May, especially before the onset of monsoons. Dr Hozefa Runderawala, consultant gastroenterologist from Saifee Hospital, mandates drinking boiled water daily and not depending only on filtered water, in case it has not been serviced. "Called stomach flu in layman's terms, we have registered a rise in cases of gastroenteritis, which could be viral, bacterial or parasitic. Patients who suffer from extreme vomiting and loose stools are recommended hydration by intravenous fluids, recommend ORS or salt-sugar solution," said Dr Runderawala. "We recommend oral antibiotics to fight the bacterial infection and then to deal with dehydration." BMC has recorded 3,866 cases of gastroenteritis between January and July 14 this year....