Mumbai battles disease outbreak

MUMBAI: It now turns out that Mumbai too is in the grip of disease. In recent months, 27,667 people in the city have been admitted with diseases like leptospirosis, malaria, dengue and fever to 20 BMC hospitals. Of these, 183 have died.

A BMC public health department report, of which DNA has a copy, confirms fears that communicable diseases have claimed many lives.

Though civic officials insist there is no dengue or malaria epidemic, the two diseases are among the three biggest killers. Since July 5 this year, 3,700 people suffering from malaria were admitted to hospitals; 57 died. Of the 781 leptospirosis cases, 32 lost their lives. Dengue has claimed 11 lives, with a total of 457 people being admitted in hospitals. A whopping 17,923 people were admitted with fevers of unknown origin; 71 died.

In the last 15 days alone, four persons have died of suspected dengue while 244 patients showing symptoms of the disease have been admitted, Executive Health Officer Dr Jairaj Thanekar said.

But he said matters are under control. “We are sending 30 per cent samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The reports may come this week. All four patients who died are only suspected to have had dengue and not a single person has died of chikungunya in Mumbai,” he said.

Thanekar said complete figures for private hospitals are unavailable. After the July 26 deluge, Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph had ordered all private hospitals to submit detailed information of daily admissions, but only 10 hospitals do so regularly.