The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) used a drone to carry out a sanitization drive in Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat area to prevent further spread of monsoon related diseases such as dengue and malaria.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar while speaking to reporters at Dhobi Ghat said, "Many people are still not wearing masks. I urge everyone to follow COVID-19 protocols."
The sanitation drive in Dhobi Ghat comes after Mumbai reported 132 dengue cases in August this year| ANI
The sanitation drive in Dhobi Ghat comes after Mumbai reported 132 dengue cases in August this year against the 10 cases recorded last year during the same period. Most cases have surfaced from the B, F-South and H-West ward.
Going by the BMC data, 790 malaria cases were recorded in August, followed by 276 cases of gastroenteritis, 37 cases of leptospirosis, 35 cases of hepatitis and 17 cases of H1N1.
The drone which was used to carry out the drive| ANI
Executive health official Dr Mangala Gomare earlier told the Free Press Journal that awareness drives have been organised across all wards to curb spread of monsoon related illnesses.
Additionally, activities like daily disease surveillance, early diagnosis and treatment and implementation of immediate control measures have been implemented. “We have instructed all hospitals, dispensaries and health centres to increase blood smear examinations. They have also been asked to conduct rapid antigen tests to rule out the possibility of Covid-19 and administer treatment to those found positive,” said Dr Gomare.
790 malaria cases were recorded in August, followed by 276 cases of gastroenteritis, 37 cases of leptospirosis, 35 cases of hepatitis and 17 cases of H1N1| ANI
Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said the BMC has been on its toes to curb monsoon illnesses. “All the efforts taken by the health and insecticide department have yielded good results. We also conducted sanitation and fumigation,” he said.
Dr Mala Kaneria, consultant, department of infectious diseases, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, believes the similarities between the symptoms of dengue and Covid-19 have resulted in delayed diagnosis in some cases. “So, any fever that doesn’t drop in three days, especially if it is associated with minor bleeding, should be investigated for dengue,” she said.
(With inputs from Swapnil Mishra)
