Water–borne Diseases Takes Two

There were two deaths in municipal hospitals in Mumbai from Saturday morning to Sunday evening — one of an unspecified fever and another of suspected leptospirosis.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had a record of 345 admissions on Sunday with various diseases — 208 with fever, 58 with malaria, 32 with gastroenteritis diarrhoea, vomiting,; 10 of 'suspected dengue', 19 with jaundice and 18 of 'suspected leptospirosis'.

Health experts warn that malaria and leptospirosis are caused by dirty surroundings. According to Dr Arun Bal, a doctor and public health activist such diseases should not be happening in a city aspiring to become a Shanghai. He said, "It is shameful even if one person dies of leptospirosis in the city. It should not happen in a modern city. If it happens they cannot say Mumbai is a modern city. It is no better than a village."

Municipal officials had claimed there was nothing to worry on Friday. Additional municipal commissioner Vijaysinh Patankar had said, "This is common at this time of the year and there is no need to panic."

Doctors and other health experts say that waterborne diseases are endemic to the city. Dr Ashish Tiwari, physician, Bombay Hospital said, "Many of the waterborne diseases are endemic in Mumbai, and we keep getting cases all through the year. Over the past 10 years, there has been no rise or decrease in the number of waterborne diseases in the city."

The main water borne diseases found here are cholera, amebiosis, gastroenteritis, typhoid, hepatitis and leptospirosis.

Dr Vijay Panjabi, vice-president of General Practitioners' Association, said, "This is a regular feature around this time of the year. We start getting cases of diarrhoea, high fever, typhoid, and jaundice throughout the monsoon."

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