05 July 2010
Mumbai, India
A 25–year–old Mulund resident succumbed to complications arising out of a dengue infection on Friday, while a 25–year–old Mankhurd resident died of leptospirosis on Saturday.
While the return of swine flu in June took centrestage in public health circles, other ailments seem to steadily be on the rise with a corresponding rise in rainfall. In the first four days of July itself, 370 patients of malaria have been admitted to various civic hospitals.
Another 844 cases of fever, 373 of gastroenteritis, nine of leptospirosis and seven of dengue have been reported. (In June, there were five deaths and 1,748 tested positive for malaria).
The dengue patient, a woman living in Mulund (E), was admitted to Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central on Thursday evening and she died of complications by the following afternoon. According to Dr Daksha Shah, head of the BMC’s epidemiology cell, this is possibly the first dengue death of the year. "There was another death a few months ago but it was only a case of suspected dengue that couldn’t be established,’’ she said.
According to civic officials, the Mankhurd case could be the first leptospirosis death of the season. The disease affects those who have cuts or wounds on their legs and walk through waterlogged streets.
Officials have asked people to maintain hygiene, especially after wading through water. The city witnessed heavy rain on June 25 (210 mm in Colaba and 120 mm in Santa Cruz) and on Saturday (149.5 mm in Colaba and 122.2 mm in Santa Cruz).
Although there is always a spurt in cases of leptospirosis during the monsoon, according to doctors, it is not unusual for there to be a case in other months as well. In fact, according to Shah, the BMC had registered a leptospirosis death in February as well.
20 more test positive for H1N1
Mumbai: Twenty more Mumbaikars tested positive for the H1N1 virus, said civic officials on Sunday evening. Eight of the H1N1–positive patients were admitted to various hospitals in the city, added Dr Daksha Shah, who heads the epidemiology cell of the BMC.
The swine flu–causing virus has so far killed eight persons in and around Mumbai since it re–emerged in June, affecting over 150 people. On Friday, the virus claimed the life of a 51–year–old Santa Cruz resident who had a history of hypertension.
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