Mumbai: When Neelam Singh’s 19-year-old son returned to the city from his hostel in Delhi, he came down with fever which escalated as the days progressed. A thorough check-up revealed that he had Malaria with a very low platelet count at 40,000. As doctors advised immediate hospitalisation, Singh rushed her son to Kokilaben hospital, where he spent four days.
“He was discharged on Thursday, and is well on the road to recovery. But I am still wary because children often eat outside food and the quality of water also remains a concern,” said Singh,a resident of Four Bungalows in Andheri.
Singh’s son’s malaria was not an isolated case, as numerous people across the city have tested positive for malaria and dengue in recent days, forcing them to slide back from their productive workspaces.
Dr Deepak Namjoshi, founder and chairman of Criticare Asia Multispeciality Hospital, said that over 20% of the 550 beds in his four hospitals across the city have been occupied by patients suffering from malaria and dengue. Mumbaikars are caught in a catch-22 situation, the doctor said – because during the day, bites from mosquitoes breeding in stagnant clean water could lead to dengue, whereas at night, mosquito bites could lead to malaria.
“The only thing that residents can do is protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying lotions or creams,” Dr Namjoshi said. “There is really nothing else that can be done at the individual level. The only solution is community-level initiatives by the state to combat this problem.”
{{/usCountry}}“The only thing that residents can do is protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying lotions or creams,” Dr Namjoshi said. “There is really nothing else that can be done at the individual level. The only solution is community-level initiatives by the state to combat this problem.”
{{/usCountry}}The mushrooming of construction sites across the city has created numerous stagnant puddles which comprise a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes. Civic corporators have also raised concern over the quality of pesticides used in fogging activities, though the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said that it is already working to prevent spread of the vector-borne diseases.
Dr Santosh Gaikwad, the BMC’s executive health officer, said that vector-borne diseases had come down in the first half of October compared to September. “We are proactively looking at all complaints of stagnant water and workers at construction sites are being trained to check for mosquito breeding sites,” Dr Gaikwad said. Fogging operations were also being implemented effectively across the city, he added.
Dr Laura D’Souza, a general practitioner and president of the Colaba Cuffe Parade Residents Association, blamed the lack of scientific approach for the spread of vector-borne diseases.
“In the name of preventing collection of stagnant water, the BMC seems more keen to penalise people. Fogging activities too do not follow the breeding cycle of mosquitoes, whose life cycle spans 15- 21 days,” she said.
Community food distribution programmes during the festive season may have added to malaria and dengue cases, D’Souza noted, adding, “One of the key reasons is the garbage and dirt lying around. We live in terrible times when the hygiene and garbage in the slums continue to remain a concern.”
Beyond vector-borne diseases, Mumbaikars have also been facing the onslaught of the high pollution levels in the city.
Jaspreet Singh Makkar, an Andheri-based independent personal finance advisor, said he was forced to take a day’s break from work recently as he came down with flu, and had a blocked noise and immense fatigue. “A day later too, the weakness and heaviness in the head persisted, forcing me to opt for work from home,” he said.
The pollution levels and haze in Makkar’s locality have also forced him to abandon his daily ritual of morning walks. “Instead of taking a walk, I prefer going for a drive, which makes more sense in these conditions,” he said.
Dr Rohit Hegde, chest physician and associate of pulmonary medicine at JJ Hospital, said that the worsening air quality in the city driven by sluggish post-monsoon winds, high humidity, increased construction activity, and a climate pattern that traps pollutants near the ground had triggered coughing, wheezing, throat and eye irritation, and acute breathlessness, hitting asthma and chronic bronchitis patients hard.
Fine particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 easily bypass nasal filters and penetrate deep into the lungs, while PM2.5 particles also enter the bloodstream, causing systemic inflammation, narrowing blood vessels, and elevating short-term blood pressure.
“High-risk groups like children, senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing heart, lung, or diabetic conditions face the steepest vulnerability,” Dr Hegde said. He recommended wearing a well-fitted N95 respirator while commuting through high-traffic or construction-heavy zones and avoiding heavy outdoor exercise or morning walks when smog levels peak.
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