Docs advise against street food as stomach ailments rise

Jamshedpur: Think twice before having the mouthwatering "baraf ka gola" (ice lolly) after coming out of school in this hot summer, warn doctors as they may have adverse effects on your health.

Dr Subham Sinha, talking to TOI on Monday said, "In the gruelling summer afternoon nothing can be more relishing than having an ice lolly after coming out of school for children but parents must be careful such products can trigger stomach and other ailments, as they are prepared from ice which is often kept or transported in very unhygienic conditions by street vendors."

Stating that stomach ailments increase during summers, Sinha said 70% of the cases are due to consumption of food from street vendors frequently. "In the past one week there were more than 100 such cases at my chamber and this week it may increase,," he added.

City based gastroenterologist Dr. Vikash Prakash said, "During summers, water scarcity is very common, and street vendors are not untouched from this problem. Not only do they have to shell out more money for water supply also the quality is mostly compromised.

So having your favourite mango juice or "bael sherbet" (wood apple juice) prepared by water collected from leaking road-side pipelines and delivered in dirty containers by porters to the vendors can give rise to many stomach problems," he said.

He clarified, "Such fruit juices if prepared at home are extremely nutritious and healthy for all age groups and can give great relief in summer and help to counter harmful effects of loo."

Prakash said, "Recently a middle-aged woman, a teacher in a private English medium school, came to my OPD was suffering from typhoid. As narrated by her for the past two weeks after school, she regularly drank lassi at a road-side stall while going back home which could have triggered this infection."