Covid cases have gone down but many Kolkatans are down with symptoms similar to that of the disease - sore throat, mild fever and cough.
Doctors said that in most cases, the illness had been brought on by common viral infections triggered by change in weather.
“Such infections are common during this time of the year, when we transition towards summer. The symptoms are somewhat similar to that Covid, but the source of the cough in current cases is the trachea. In Covid patients, the lungs are the source,” said a doctor.
The doctor said many people were struck by viruses infecting the upper respiratory tract in the past two years, too, but Covid grabbed all the attention because of its exponential spread and higher hospitalisation and mortality rates.
“The current spate of coughing, sneezing and runny nose is because of upper respiratory tract infections,” another doctor said.
Pharmacies, too, are flooded with people seeking medicines for coughs.
Amitabha Saha, an internal medicine specialist at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, said the classical symptoms of the current spate of infections are “coughing, headache and sinusitis”. Some patients are also running a temperature.
“The recent infections are mostly in the upper respiratory tract. These infections are mostly caused by the respiratory syncytial virus,” said Saha. “The basic difference between Covid and the current infections is that Covid impacts the lungs, which are part of the lower respiratory tract. The current infections are impacting the upper part of the tract.”
Chandramouli Bhattacharya, an infectious disease specialist at Peerless Hospital, said many of the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections are similar to that of Covid.
“Headache and body ache are more common for this kind of infections. The minor infections get cured in two or three days,” he said. “Influenza is also triggered by an upper respiratory tract infection, but it may cause more suffering than minor infections.”
An official of a company that runs a pharmacy chain said they had noticed an increase in the sale of antibiotics that cure congestion and cough. “We used to sell 50 such antibiotics a week from our stores. But in the past week, the number shot up to 60,” the official said.
Masks, doctors said, can shield people against viruses causing upper respiratory tract infections, just as they do against Covid.
Virus watch
• Infections are in the upper respiratory tract
• Common symptoms are headache, body ache, cough, congestion, sinusitis, mild fever
• The source of cough is the trachea, unlike in Covid where the lungs are the source
• Mild cases get cured in two or three days
• Masks can prevent the spread of the virus causing upper respiratory tract infections