Mumbai: City Sees Uptick in Dengue Cases

Mumbai: Even though monsoon arrival has been delayed in Mumbai, the citizens are reeling under rain-related ailments. As per the outpatient departments (OPD) of the private and government hospitals, the number of dengue and malaria cases have risen in the past 10 days. Worryingly, most patients are in the 25-40 year age group, with travel history. Senior doctors have attributed the surge to changing climatic conditions, which are favourable for monsoon-ailments. Experts have warned caseswill increase more in coming days as rains start. 

According to the doctors, OPDs saw five-ten patients – exhibiting the signs of dengue and malaria – daily in the last week while the same figure stood at two-three people last month. Around two-three patients (among the cases reported last week) required hospitalisation due to low platelet count. 

Cases of complicated vivax malaria also seen

Dr Samrat Shah, Consultant Internist at the Bhatia Hospital, said, “I had treated two patients who had a travel history to Alibaug. There is a possibility they contracted from dengue due to mosquito bites and waterlogging. Moreover, we have also seen two-three cases of complicated vivax malaria. For instance, a 90-year-old woman, who was hospitalised, presented with a high-grade fever. Consequently, the body's metabolic demand led to increased heart pumping. She was treated successfully and sent home a few days ago.”

As per the BMC, the city has reported more than 500 dengue cases in the last six months. Senior infectious disease experts said there is already an uptick in denguecases owing to ideal mosquito-breeding conditions, with wastewater puddles and constructions in many parts of the city, especially the suburbs. However, denguehas four serotypes, so a person can get infected as many as four times in a lifetime and all four serotypes are active in India, they explained. 

“I have treated a cluster of patients from a construction site where there was waterlogging, which was favourable for mosquito breeding. Some of them had low platelet count hence we admitted them. We expect cases to rise further,” said one of the experts.

Pointers:

Number of daily cases last month

2-3 patients

Rise in last week's figure 

5-10 patients

Number of patients requiring hospitalisation 

2-3

Reason for hospitalisation

Low platelet count

Number of dengue cases in 6 months

500