Sept saw spike in malaria, dengue cases: BMC monsoon report

MUMBAI: The BMC’s monsoon report, put out after the official ending of the rains, reveals that the city saw a spike in malaria and dengue cases in September as compared to August. While September witnessed 1,456 dengue cases as against 1,013 the previous month, there were 1,261 malaria cases as compared to 1,171 cases last month. One Zika virus case was recorded in September.

The Zika virus struck a 63-year-old female with a comorbidity, who is currently in a private hospital, stable and asymptomatic as of now. Symptoms of the Zika virus include, fever, rash, pain in the eyes, joints and limbs, fatigue and headache.

If malaria and dengue went up in September, there was a dip in other monsoon diseases. A hundred and fifty-six chikungunya cases, 75 leptospirosis cases, 466 gastroenteritis cases, 129 hepatitis cases and 62 H1N1 cases were recorded as compared to August, which recorded 164 chikungunya cases, 272 leptospirosis cases, 694 gastroenteritis cases, 169 hepatitis cases and 170 H1N1 cases. From January to September, there were five recorded deaths from malaria, 12 from dengue, 18 from leptospirosis, one from hepatitis and five from H1N1.

Dr Umang Agarwal, infectious diseases consultant at P D Hinduja Hospital, stated that the increase in the number of cases in malaria and dengue was majorly due to the increase in rainfall. “I saw around two to three dengue patients and one or two malaria patients daily,” he said. “As we always state, the basic precautions to be taken are the use of mosquito nets, mosquito creams like Odomos and mosquito spray.”

Dr Agarwal said that a single Zika virus case ought not to be a prime concern at the moment. “But we should be wary about the fact that this virus exists and take precautions just as mentioned for malaria and dengue—keep as far away from mosquitoes as possible,” he said.

Dr Manjusha Agarwal, senior consultant of internal medicine at Gleneagles Hospital, reiterated that one Zika virus case was not a cause for concern but the spike in monsoon disease cases was. “Be it Zika, malaria or dengue, basic hygiene is the most important precaution one must take to avoid all these diseases,” she said.

Dr Agarwal said that mosquito breeding usually increased when the rains began receding. “Mosquitoes don’t breed during heavy rain, hence we always see a spike in malaria and dengue cases from the last week of August to mid-October,” she said. “To keep all these diseases at bay, avoid mosquito bites and wear light-coloured full-sleeved clothes.”