Lahore hospitals report surge in gastroenteritis patients amid conflicting outbreak reports and unusual complications.

Hospitals in Lahore are dealing with a surge of gastroenteritis patients amid conflicting reports about a possible outbreak. The increase has been noted particularly at Mayo Hospital, the province’s largest teaching facility, where doctors report patients with severe complications, including kidney failure and stroke. Other government hospitals, including Lahore General Hospital, Jinnah Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, have also seen a rise in admissions for stomach infections. In contrast, the management of Services Hospital said its patient numbers remain routine. A spokesperson for Lahore General Hospital attributed the rise to the heavy rains in the city, noting that most admitted patients were children. “We are receiving a good number of patients with stomach infections, which may be the result of massive rains in the city,” the spokesperson said. Dr Salman Kazmi, a senior consultant at Mayo Hospital, stated that emergency wards are facing long queues of patients with gastroenteritis. “We are receiving a large number of patients with gastroenteritis, many of them with kidney failure and stroke, which requires epidemiological investigation by public health experts,” he said. He added that a possible cholera outbreak could be driving the spike, explaining that cholera causes sudden severe diarrhoea and dehydration from contaminated water or food. Dr Mohammad Arshad, former senior consultant at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, said the city’s hospitals routinely see sharp increases in stomach infections during the monsoon season, attributing the illnesses to contaminated water, unsafe drinking supplies and improper food storage. He urged health authorities to investigate and take precautionary measures.