The state recorded a total of 39,426 instances of conjunctivitis and issued a warning to districts to heighten their surveillance efforts. According to the public health department's analysis of samples, the majority of cases were identified as viral conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus. While Mumbai had not experienced an outbreak, a cautionary alert was issued by BMC, advising everyone to remain vigilant.
Pune, hit hardest
Among the affected districts, Pune was hit the hardest, reporting 7,871 cases. The surge in Pune was primarily attributed to an outbreak in the temple town of Alandi. Over the course of the previous week, the district administration recorded more than 2,500 conjunctivitis cases from Alandi and two neighboring villages in Khed taluka. As the screening process continued over the weekend, an additional 2,000 new cases were reported by the health department. Further, a screening drive in schools revealed more cases.
State health officials attributed the increase in cases to the recent rainfall and other weather conditions. Following Pune, Buldhana reported the second-highest number of cases (6,693).
