Frequent rains over the last week have caused a spurt in viral diseases, mainly mosquito and water-borne, doctors reveal.
The city-based government Fever Hospital has seen a significant rise in out-patient numbers which doctorsattribute to the weather. With mosquito infestation slowly rising as the temperature drops and water stagnates, doctors warn that vector-borne diseases, mainly malaria and dengue, will rise.
“We are now admitting 20 patients a day while the outpatient count is 600 per day. The number of cases of malaria, gastrointestinal illness, including typhoid and viral hepatitis, are on the rise,” said Dr. K. Shankar, Superintendent of the Fever Hospital. Typhoid and diphtheria patients are also being treated.
Hyderabad has received over 15 cm of rain this month thanks to strong monsoon conditions that helped bring summer temperature down rapidly in June first week. According to Skymet Weather, the prevailing weather conditions are expected to persist given a wind trough along the Indian east-coast that is responsible for rainfall in Telangana.
According to the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme, the number of malaria cases and deaths has been on the decline over the last two decades. Besides improvements in clinical management of patients, vector control has helped reduce the number of cases.
The Chief Entomologist of GHMC,V. Venkatesh said the cases of mosquito infections at Fever Hospital are mainly from endemic malaria areas in Medak. “The cases we reviewed showed those who were infected in the city had travel history to those areas like Edupayla in the neighbouring district,” he said.
