Doctors expect rise in monsoon illnesses

With the arrival of monsoon, city doctors are expecting a rise in the number of dengue, malaria and swine flu (H1N1) among other seasonal ailments. Doctors are worried

With the arrival of monsoon, city doctors are expecting a rise in the number of dengue, malaria and swine flu (H1N1) among other seasonal ailments. Doctors are worried about anxiety among people who display symptoms such as fever and cough, which are similar to those infected with Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

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While most hospitals are currently overwhelmed due to Covid-19, hospital administrations are bracing for the annual onslaught of monsoon illnesses. Every year, around 5,000 and 1,000 people get diagnosed with malaria and dengue on an average in the city, respectively. A majority of these cases are generally reported during the monsoon months of June to September.

Last year in June, 313 cases of malaria, eight dengue and 43 swine flu cases were reported.

As the healthcare machinery is overstretched, many tertiary care hospitals such as civic-run BYL Nair Hospital and the state-run St George Hospitals are likely to face a shortage of beds to treat the dengue and malaria patients.

“We are treating over 400 Covid-19 patients and are trying to expand further. But considering we are also a non-Covid hospital, we have kept another group of doctors on stand-by to treat patients with dengue, malaria and swine flu,” said Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean of King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel.

Doctors are also expecting a rise in cases of fever as many seasonal illnesses have symptoms such as fever, difficulty in breathing and loss of appetite that are virtually indistinguishable from those infected with the Sars-CoV-2.

“As their symptoms are similar to Covid-19, we can’t take risks. We may, therefore, require more isolation beds with protective equipment while treating such patients,” Dr Ramesh Bharmal, director of major civic-run hospitals. “These patients will also need to be diagnosed earlier to determine if they need medication for mosquito-borne diseases or Covid-19,” he added.

During monsoon, door-to-door screening of residents, especially in slums such as Dharavi, Govandi, may spell trouble. “During monsoon, narrow lanes in slum areas get flooded. Hence, contact-tracing might be problematic for medical volunteers,” said Kiran Dighavkar, ward officer of G/N ward. “We have carried out fumigation and cleaned out breeding grounds in Dharavi and surrounding areas,” he added.