Mumbai: Health issues are a major concern during monsoon in Mumbai and this time swine flu has reared its head again, with authorities battling to contain the disease.
Even as health officials struggle to grapple to control other rain-related illnesses like dengue, malaria and typhoid, swine flu has killed seven people in the first half of July.
According to Mini Khetrapal, Deputy Health Officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
“There is no such thing as an outbreak in Mumbai as there are swine flu (H1N1) cases all over Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and other states. It is just that every case is reported in Mumbai.
“In 2015, there were 3,000 cases of swine flu and 52 deaths and this year from January till now, there are 715 cases with 22 deaths — eight among them coming from outside the city,” she told Gulf News.
Though it could not be said that the situation was under control, she said, “We are creating awareness on a mass scale and taking all preventive measures. Time and again, we have been advising doctors in private as well as civic hospitals to start treatment within 48 hours after the symptoms are seen and that patients should be kept in isolation in their homes.” In serious cases they should be hospitalised.
She stressed that isolation of patients was very important so that the disease did not spread but “people are so busy in Mumbai, they tend to travel and, together with the density of people in our transport system being so high, transmission of the disease is also high.”
People are being urged to maintain personal hygiene at all times, washing their hands frequently after visiting public places and covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing. Swine flu is a respiratory disease with symptoms that include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body ache and tiredness. A blood test for H1N1 virus has to be done immediately if one suffers from flu and other symptoms.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda, whilst replying to a question on swine flu in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in the Rajya Sabha on July 18, said that in Maharashtra there were 284 deaths out of 2324 cases reported till July 9 in 2017 followed by Gujarat 75 and Kerala 63.
The minister said, “A Central Rapid Response Team was deployed to the state of Maharashtra on 27th June 2017 to investigate the rising trend of Influenza in that state and to provide required assistance to the state which is resulting in reduced mortality presently. It imparted training to private and government medical officers in Mumbai and Thane Corporations and to the State health officials on categorisation and management of cases.”
