Mumbai rains: Monsoon illness on the rise

Only a green alert has been issued for now

As the monsoon intensified this month, the number of people contracting viral and bacterial infections has also seen a spike. Last month, there were only 93 cases of dengue, which has now increased to 165 cases, and there were 52 cases of leptospirosis reported this month.

Swine flu (H1N1) has also seen a sharp rise; in June, there were only 10 cases, but in just 15 days, the cases have risen to 53. However, the numbers are comparatively lower than last year, as by mid-July, Mumbai had reported 263 cases of dengue and 104 cases of leptospirosis.

Dr Neeraj Tulara, from L N Hiranandani Hospital, said the hospital has been witnessing at least a hundred clinically positive cases of swine flu on a weekly basis, while 30 have been confirmed by the labs. "We don't ask everyone to be tested because it is an added expense," Dr Tulara said. He added that a few of them have required hospitalisation. "The fever is as high as 104°F. Most recover, but those with comorbidities or senior citizens show complications; some of them have their lungs compromised," Dr Tulara said.

"About 50 people are coming in per week with dengue. No one has shown complications so far," he added. Dr Monica Goel, a senior consulting physician with P.D. Hinduja Hospital sees more than a hundred patients on a weekly basis. She said, "There have been dengue and influenza patients, but very few of them require admission while others have required close monitoring. "However, she warned that there are patients affected with Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax) malaria, which presents itself with fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, appetite loss and can even result in death in severe cases. "They are still admitted at the hospital," Dr Goel said.

A doctor working at a BMC-run dispensary in G-south ward said, "Mosquito-borne diseases have significantly reduced. We see about one case of malaria in 100 patients we see every day. Most of them come to us with influenza-like symptoms." There have been 443 cases of malaria reported since the start of this month. The civic body has tested about 81,556 individuals for malaria in the last 15 days while it provided preventive care to 14,059 individuals from leptospirosis.