Dengue and leptospirosis have claimed one life each in the city so far this month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday.
In a status report of patients admitted with monsoon-related diseases from September 1 to 16, the BMC said a 46-year-old woman who returned from Uttar Pradesh in the last week of August died of dengue on September 1, within two hours of admission The Malad (East) resident had earlier been admitted to a private hospital, from where she took discharge against medical advice.
On September 6, a 37-year-old man from Andheri died from acute respiratory distress syndrome with multi-organ failure after contracting leptospirosis. The deceased was a chronic alchoholic for the past 10 years.
With 2,322 cases of dengue being reported from September 1 to 15, there has been a notable decrease from the 3,721 patients who were admitted with the disease in September last year.
The BMC insecticide department carried out a survey of disease-spreading mosquitoes in all the 24 wards. Following the dengue death in Malad (East), the BMC screened 984 houses with 3,296 residents. Two cases of fever and another case of upper respiratory tract infection were reported to a dispensary in the locality, and fogging activities were taken up at 669 homes.
The number of leptospirosis cases saw a sharp decline, from 59 cases in this month last year to 19 this time around. Following the death of the Andheri resident, the BMC screened 500 houses with 2,598 residents in various wards.
Only two people were found with fever, while two others with acute upper respiratory tract infection were admitted to a local dispensary. Rodent control measures were taken up by the pest control department and over six burrows were dismantled and were treated with rodenticide.
The BMC said the public health department had teamed up with local project management professionals in certain areas that reported a high number of dengue cases to educate individuals in methods of preventing the disease. Officials sensitised residents to seek immediate medical help on showing symptoms of the disease, instructed them how to protect homes from mosquitoes and taught them preventive measures to keep their premises clean.
