66 new suspected dengue cases in Navi Mumbai; NMMC notifies hospitals to report on cases

In a week, more than 66 new suspected cases of dengue were detected in Navi Mumbai, taking the total suspected cases to 288; eight cases have tested positive

In a week, more than 66 new suspected cases of dengue were detected in Navi Mumbai, taking the total suspected cases to 288. Till now, eight cases have tested positive, though none in the last one week.

A civic staff carries out fogging in Navi Mumbai as 66 new suspected dengue cases are reported in one week by NMMC. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has also sent a notification to all private hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories to report all epidemic cases to the local supervising authority to keep a tab of all suspected dengue and malaria cases in the city.

The civic body has also warned in the notification that if they failed to report, appropriate action would be initiated under the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration Act.

Medical health officer, NMMC, Dr. Pramod Patil, said, “The increase in the number of suspected cases is a sign that we are monitoring every patient closely for the symptoms. Along with preventive measures, we are emphasising on timely reporting of the cases to give the right treatment at the right time.”

NMMC has sent a Google sheet to all private hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories in the city to inform all monsoon-related water-borne and vector-borne diseases daily. “The Google sheet includes details of the patient and the diagnosis to help the civic body in knowing the daily trend and timely intervention can be taken,” Patil said.

Of the 288 suspected dengue cases, 279 have been found to be negative and eight have been found to be positive, the highest since 2019. In 2019, till September, there were three positive cases out of the 147 suspected ones while in 2020, none were found positive from the 27 suspected cases.

“When we get a suspected case, we get the samples and admit the patient first and then we conduct the antigen test. If the antigen test is positive, we send the samples ahead to NIV in Pune for confirmation. Once NIV confirms it, only then it is dengue,” NMMC assistant municipal commissioner, Sanjay Kakade, said.

Fogging, introduction of guppy fishes into stagnant water bodies, spreading awareness, checking the breeding spots of mosquitoes and destroying them are all being taken up by the corporation to prevent the vector-borne diseases.

“Residents should ensure that there is no stagnant water in their houses and report any kind of illness at the earliest without going for any over-the-counter treatment. If the treatment is delayed, the complications could increase,” Dr Patil said.

Meanwhile, 20 have tested positive for malaria from the 62,497 samples checked. In a week, 2,177 people with symptoms of malaria were reported and checked, of which only one was found positive. In 2020, the dengue and malaria reporting was relatively less due to the pandemic and the majority of the staff being deployed for Covid duty.