Two suspected leptospirosis deaths in 10 days; cases all-time high in five years

Mumbai: The city reported two suspected leptospirosis deaths in the last 10 days at the KEM Hospital in Parel. With this, there are three suspected leptospirosis deaths and 661 cases – the highest in five years – this year. From June to August 13, the city reported 326 leptospirosis cases.

According to a doctor from the medicine department of KEM Hospital, two male patients, aged 21 and 59, were admitted to the emergency ICU in critical condition and succumbed to their infections on August 10 and 18 respectively.

“The 21-year-old patient was shifted from a private hospital in a critical state on August 10 with fever, chills and breathlessness. He was on BiPap support. We immediately intubated him and administered four cycles of CPR. However, he succumbed the next day,” the doctor said.

The other patient, a 59-year-old male, a resident of Sion, was admitted to KEM Hospital on August 15 with fever, headache, severe body ache and breathlessness, another doctor from the medicine department said, adding, “He was a known case of Ischemic Heart Disease and chronic alcoholism. When he came to us, he was positive for malaria. When we repeated the tests, he came positive for both malaria and leptospirosis.”

“The patient was put on a ventilator. He developed sepsis and underwent septic shock, and succumbed to the infections on August 18,” the doctor added.

Earlier, a 38-year-old man died of suspected leptospirosis on June 23 at BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai Central.

Senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health officials said the death audit committee will review the health history of patients before confirming leptospirosis deaths. Last month, the civic body issued an advisory for leptospirosis after the city started seeing a rise in cases this season.

“Those who have waded through rainwater must take preventive medication within 24 to 72 hours as per medical advice. Citizens who have cuts, wounds on their legs and come in contact with rainwater are more prone to the infection,” the BMC advisory reads.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the infectious disease is caused by bacteria and is detected in areas which have witnessed excessive rainfall or flooding. It added that the leptospirosis bacteria are commonly transmitted to humans’ bodies through cuts, and abrasions in the skin, sometimes due to ingestion of floodwater through mouth or nose and rarely through eyes.