With water-borne ailments such as gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and jaundice on an upswing it’s not mosquitoes but contaminated water that you need to be wary of this monsoon.
With water-borne ailments such as gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and jaundice on an upswing it’s not mosquitoes but contaminated water that you need to be wary of this monsoon.
Gastroenteritis — an acute case of diarrhoea and vomiting — is spreading more rapidly than malaria. On average, 73 cases of gastric flu are being registered in a day, whereas malaria is hovering at 50 cases per day.
Although gastroenteritis has claimed just one life, a growing number of patients are being detected with severe inflammation of both the stomach and small intestine. This month alone, 1,322 cases of the disease have been recorded. In the past three months, an increase of 10% has been recorded. In May, 1,371 people were infected with the ailment, while in April, the figure stood at 1,257.
In addition, 80% of cases recorded at health camps organised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) include gastroenteritis and diarrhoea. “At health camps, a spike has been observed in water-borne diseases. A separate standard operating procedure is being framed to tackle this,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner (health).
The worst-struck area appears to be Kurla, while Byculla and Dadar come in a close second. “The upswing has been observed across the city. Every ward has seen 10-11 positive cases of gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, cholera and jaundice,” said Dr Daksha Shah, chief of the BMC epidemiology cell.
Between April 2010 and now, over 2.3 lakh cases of diarrhoea have been recorded in the city. Last year, 1.16 lakh patients were detected with the ailment, and in 2009, just 81,321 cases were being treated for diarrhoea.
A similar trend has been observed in jaundice. Around 11 cases are being recorded daily in BMC-run hospitals. Last month, over 300 cases were registered and during April, 322 jaundice cases were detected.
To plug the soaring numbers, BMC is expected to carry out micro-mapping and test water samples. “Wherever a large number of positive cases of such diseases is recorded, water samples will be collected. They will be processed within 24 hours. In the presence of toxins, the ward’s hydraulic department will be notified to initiate the needful,” added Mhaiskar.
More health camps will also be set up in the city. Health committee chairman Rajul Patel added that people should be careful while eating at roadside eateries.
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