Whichever way i look i see joy bangla!! the whole city has joy bangla or what!

@sujoy_g

Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh’s tweet on Friday captures the magnitude of a conjunctivitis outbreak tormenting Calcuttans before the Puja.

Ophthalmologists said they have of late noticed a 20 per cent increase in patients suffering from viral conjunctivitis that is known among the masses by its nickname, Joy Bangla, after it reached pandemic proportions during the 1971 Indo-Pak war for the liberation of Bangladesh.

The doctors said the irritating viral eye disease normally don’t appear at this time of the year. “July and August are the months when the virus is most active. By September-end, we get sporadic cases. This year, there has been a late surge,” said ophthalmologist Abhijit Sen. “We have noticed that the infection is lasting 10 days or more in many of the recent cases. We are prescribing antibiotics and lubricating gels to moisten the cornea to ease the irritation caused by dryness.”

Microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chowdhury said viruses multipy whenever there’s a sudden change in temperature and humidity, something the city has had aplenty recently.

Conjunctivitis is a pesky disease that turns the eyes red, dry, painful and swollen. Patients complain of misty vision, headache and fever.

Ophthalmologist Piya Sen said the virus could stay for two to three weeks in some cases. “A severe infection can cause bleeding in the conjunctiva (white part of the eye). Patients shouldn’t touch any object after rubbing their eyes. They should wash hands with soap or use hand sanitisers.”