It's raining ailments as monsoon keeps extending its spell

With monsoon extending for another week as an after-effect of cyclone Phailin which hit the east coast last weekend, the city is reeling under loads of ailments. “The monsoon this year is prolonged unlike last year. Last week, we detected 50 to 60 dengue patients,” said Dr Anil Manerkar, a physician in Chembur. Around 10 per cent of dengue patients are in hospital as their condition has deteriorated. “Patients are acquiring illness sooner and for a longer period of time. It will yet take 10 more days for the monsoon to taper down and infection cases to recede,” said Dr Om Shrivastava, director, department of infectious diseases, Jaslok Hospital. While hospitals see maximum patient admissions in August and a gradual decline eventually, extending monsoons are changing the trend. “Monsoon paired with poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. Of 20 patient admissions, 12 have been detected with dengue,” said Dr Hakim Pardawalla, physician at Saifee Hospital in Charni Road. Till October 13, BMC health department recorded 4,042 fever cases, 437 malaria cases, 285 gastroenteritis cases and 82 dengue cases among other ailments. “With the festival season at its peak, patients are also coming with stomach upset, loose motion and vomiting. Exposure to rain water are causing viral infections like upper respiratory tract infection,” said Dr Manerkar. With high humidity levels, 98% in South Mumbai and 87% in suburbs, discomfort in city is on a high. “When humidity levels cross 80% and there are extreme temperature differences between day and night, discomfort levels rise,” said Dr K Hosalikar, deputy director, Met department in Mumbai.  “There is something called a discomfort index (DI). Whenever humidity level goes above 80% coupled with high temperature, it usually raises the DI. This hot and cold variation in weather usually happens in the last month of monsoon and people take time to adapt to the changing season,” he added.Disease dossierUptil October 13, 2013 Fever 4,042Malaria     437Gastro 285Dengue 82Typhoid 76Jaundice 67Lepto 6Swine flu 5Cholera1