Mumbai: Amid the drop in Covid cases in Mumbai, there has been a rise in monsoon ailments in the last seven days. As per data provided by the civic health department, the city has recorded 118 cases of malaria, followed by 83 cases of gastroenteritis and 51 of dengue between September 5-11. Civic health officials have urged citizens to consult doctors immediately if they have any symptoms, citing cases are likely to surge in the coming days.
“We are expecting cases related to monsoon-ailments and viral fever to increase in the next 10 days, considering there has been continuous rainfall in the city over the last four to five days. Moreover, we are also expecting swine flu cases will surge due to which citizens need to take extra precautions and consult the doctors or nearby BMC clinics if they have any symptoms. People should avoid self-medicating,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC.
Dr Umang Agrawal, infectious diseases consultant, PD Hinduja Hospital & MRC, said, cases of dengue have been on the rise now predominantly due to the monsoons resulting in lots of puddles which are a breeding ground for mosquitoes – the prime vectors for the transmission of this infection.
“Most of the time dengue cases can recover on their own. However, there are certain warning signs that you need to know of and these include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, excessive bleeding from any site and breathlessness. These are basically the signs of your blood getting concentrated and management of this particular infection predominantly remains conservative with plenty of fluids. In certain cases those with the warning signs described might require admission,” he said.
Dr Harish Chafle, senior consultant in pulmonology and critical care at Global Hospital, Parel, said there are incidences wherein patients have been infected with both dengue and malaria. As we all know mosquitoes are responsible for causing dengue and they need clean water to survive, with a habit of biting in the daytime. “Heavy rains and water logging in low-lying areas provide a bed for breeding to these mosquitoes. Also, water kept in drums and plates used to keep household decorative plants can also sometimes provide the same conducive environment,” he said.
