After a spate of Chikungunya cases, South Mumbai now witnesses a Hantavirus death
Days after four confirmed cases of chikungunya were reported from private hospitals across South Mumbai, a 12-year-old boy from Colaba became the first victim to succumb to Hantavirus; an infection spread by exposure to fresh rat urine, droppings and saliva. The first of its case this year, Dr Aditya Agarwal, chest physician, Bhatia Hospital who treated him said, "The boy was taken to multiple doctors and eventually came to us. He was experiencing abdominal pain and was coughing up blood."
Reports from the Metropolis lab confirmed that the boy had Hantavirus and further samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation.
"Hantavirus is very rare. It is serious and in some cases such as this can also lead to death," said Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The parents of the boy, who was also tested positive for leptospirosis another infection spread by rat urine, insisted on taking him back to their village in Karnataka. "We need to maintain personal hygiene and follow basic sanitation. A lot of people are falling ill because of these communicable diseases," added Dr Agarwal.
All in all there have been four confirmed cases of Chikungunya reported to the civic body by private hospitals in South Mumbai, the same locality that earlier reported the highest number of dengue cases, during the monsoons. Hantavirus cases are linked to bad sanitation and hygiene and are mostly seen occurring in slum pockets of the posh South Mumbai.
About Hantavirus
Spreads due to exposure to fresh urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
Symptoms
Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches
Cough and shortness of breath occur after 10 days
Can Hantavirus be fatal?
Yes. It has a mortality rate of 38%.
Source: Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Source of the infographic: Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
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