Mumbai: For the first time in four years, the city has recorded eight cases of swine flu and four cases of leptospirosis after two years, the highest number of cases recorded in January. However, the number of dengue, gastroenteritis and hepatitis cases have come down this year. Experts attribute this to the regulated screening of patients with cold and fever symptoms, to identify suspected cases of coronavirus.
Senior health officials confirmed that eight people were found suffering from H1N1 in the city. They were hospitalised and treated successfully.
Additional municipal commissioner (AMC) Suresh Kakani said, the number of cases detected had increased due to the ongoing screening of patients suspected with coronavirus. “Recently, a 26-year-old woman with a travel history to Singapore was quarantined after she developed similar symptoms. But her test reports diagnosed her with swine flu. As there is a fear of contracting coronavirus, more people have come forward for check-ups, resulting in the identification of more cases of swine flu cases,” he explained.
Health experts said the H1N1 virus usually spreads during the monsoon (between June and August), as the temperature fluctuates, providing a suitable environment for the virus to thrive. It has been learnt that in the last five years, there has been a continuous change in the virus strain and swine flu has gone from being a seasonal to a year-long occurrence.
“Fluctuation in temperature and high moisture content in the air are conducive for the spread of H1N1 virus and therefore, we recorded the highest number of cases in monsoon. But due to change in the strain, it has become a form of influenza which now occurs anytime in the year,” said Dr Om Srivastav, infectious disease expert and epidemiologist.
According to the data provided by the civic health department, the city recorded the lowest number of Hepatitis A and E this month, in comparison with previous years. In January 2016, 116 cases were reported, which came down to 54 this year. In addition to this, 19 cases of dengue and four cases of of leptospirosis too were reported last month.
