Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Dengue-threat looms large over Mumbai

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Dengue-threat looms large over Mumbai

    Dengue-threat looms large over Mumbai

    From our ANI Correspondent

    Mumbai, June 5: Outbreak of mosquito-borne disease Dengue is looming large over Mumbai, as the city has recorded a spurt in the number of dengue cases ahead of the monsoon season.


    Hospitals in the suburbs of the metropolis have reported a large number of fever cases; many of them diagnosed dengue hemorrhagic fever.

    There is an alarming rise in the number of fever cases suspected to be dengue in Mira-Bhayandar municipality area of Mumbai, blaming on poor sanitation.

    "Mosquitoes breed because of stagnant water and garbage that has piled up everywhere and this leads to the onset of diseases like dengue," said Dr. Ravi Patil of Sai Ashirwad Hospital.

    "First of all, water is polluted, the surroundings are dirty, you can see that there is no hygiene and on top of it the monsoons are going to set in," said Vine, a dengue patient.

    People living in shanties were mainly susceptible to the disease, because of poor sanitation.

    "Because there is a lot of garbage around, all kinds of diseases are spreading," said Santosh Yadav, a water supply tanker assistant.

    The city had been reporting dengue and other water-borne diseases every year during the post-monsoon period.

    Dengue fever is an acute febrile disease, found in the tropical region. It spreads by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    Open storm, drains and water-logging were the major factors contributing to breeding of mosquitoes, the cause of dengue.

    The disease spreads during the rainy season and is manifested by a sudden fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains.

    ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
    Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

    ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

  • #2
    Re: Dengue-threat looms large over Mumbai

    Dengue surfaces in the suburbs

    Seven cases reported in Bhayander, 3 in Vasai, health officials in a tizzy

    Swatee Kher

    Mumbai, June 4: For 28-year-old Ashish Bhatt, a resident of Bhayandar, it has been a painful weekend. Last weekend he was at a resort in Virar. Now, he has been admitted to the ICU of the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital in Mira Road with dengue.

    Monsoon showers are yet to hit the state coast, but the mosquito menace is already signaling a return. Six others from Bhayander have been admitted to various local hospitals with suspected dengue, while three from Vasai have been diagnosed with it and are recuperating in the Om Sai Hospital.


    No wonder health officials are in a tizzy. And the far-flung suburbs seem to be the early targets. While officials have started distributing information pamphlets and continuing with fogging, initial reports suggest most patients are residents who live in Navghar, Station Road or near the flyover in Bhayander. All these areas reported a large number of dengue cases last year too.

    ?I started feeling feverish last Monday. I was admitted to another hospital in Bhayander for a few days but my condition didn?t improve though they said I could have got jaundice or dengue. Now, my fever is gone and will hopefully be discharged by Wednesday,? said Bhatt.

    According to Padwal, medical officer of Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC), ?Seven cases of suspected dengue have been reported in Bhayander in the last week. The percentage of larvae (aedes aegyptus mosquito) is 30 per cent in the area, whereas it should be well below 10 per cent.?

    What is worse is that this will go up during monsoons. ?People need to be more careful about water accumulation,? he added.

    ?We have increased fogging activity in the Navghar, Station Road and flyover areas. Moreover, we are also distributing pamphlets and material in the areas,? said Rajkumar Kamble of the corporation?s public health department.

    According to doctors at Vasai?s Om Sai Hospital, one patient was already suffering from high fever when he came to them, while another one came to them early. ?Dengue was confirmed through the ELISA test. Most of the patients have recovered and will be discharged today and tomorrow. We have also had fever cases from the area, but only these two were confirmed dengue cases,? said Prasheel Patil, the hospital?s MD (general medicine).

    Vasai district health officials, however, say that patients from Naigaon and Kalam villages haven?t yet been administered all the required tests and hence their status is still unconfirmed.

    Get the Latest City News and Metro News Headlines on Indian Express. Grab the Exclusive News Headlines from Top most Indian Cities.
    ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
    Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

    ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

    Comment

    Working...
    X