Rising cases of fever in Bahrain ‘not cause of worry’

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

New cases of viral fever have remained high in Bahrain with many cases being reported across private hospitals and government health centres.

Medical sources said Bahrain is witnessing a spike in viral fever cases for the first time since the beginning of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the nation for nearly two years.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Dr Babu Ramachandran, leading general physician at American Mission Hospital, said there is nothing to panic about the rising number of viral fever cases.

“It is not unusual to find a rise in flu cases during this period of the year when the climate changes fast. During the last two years, we didn’t witness this spike in flu in this climate changing period as people mainly remained indoors and there was no room for transmission.”

However, he urged caution as the Kingdom reported 614 new Covid cases yesterday. “It is true that a victory has been achieved in the battle against Covid-19 virus, but we need to exercise caution to sustain this victory forward in light of fresh Covid-19 infections being reported everyday in the Kingdom.

“I advise patients to seek medical attention if the fever lasts for a longer period. Generally, viral fever will subside in four days. Take rest and drink plenty of fluids. Definitely, seek medical attention if the fever is accompanied by a severe headache, stiff neck, shortness of breath, or other unusual signs or symptoms.”

Allaying fears of Monkeypox infection, Dr Babu said Monkeypox is not a cause of worry in the Kingdom.

“No case of Monkeypox has been reported in the Kingdom and health authorities are on alert to tackle any challenge in this regard.”

Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean at World Health Organisation (WHO), earlier praised Bahrain’s success in tackling the Covid-19 threat, highlighting that the Kingdom has a strong system to combat infectious diseases including Monkeypox.

“Monkeypox is containable in the Arab region and what is required now is close cooperation between nations and increased awareness among the people to stop transmission of the virus.”

Dr Ahmed said people are the main partners in combating any virus transmission. “After reporting the first case, the UAE is in its best efforts to trace contacts and prevent the transmission of virus. Countries in the region already have accumulated experience in order to protect individuals from the disease.”