BMC suspects two dengue deaths in city this month

MUMBAI: Two suspected dengue deaths were reported between September 1 and 13 in the city, said a civic official on Tuesday. However, the identities of the deceased

MUMBAI: Two suspected dengue deaths were reported between September 1 and 13 in the city, said a civic official on Tuesday. However, the identities of the deceased have not been disclosed as municipal health officials are in the process of collecting information on the cases. The first dengue death this year was reported in January.

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With parts of the state receiving intermittent rainfall over the past few months, there has been a rise in mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, said that 2,572 cases of dengue and 450 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the state so far. “Most of the dengue cases were reported from Kolhapur and Nashik. Till August, two dengue-related deaths were reported across the state,” he said.

“This year, there has been a rise in chikungunya cases, most of which were reported from rural areas of Pune. However, there have not been any deaths,” he said. Dr Padmaja Keskar, the city’s executive health officer, said that mosquito-breeding proliferates during August and September as pools of stagnant rainwater are formed. In August, 103 dengue and 1,010 malaria cases were reported across civic hospitals in Mumbai. “Aedes mosquitoes, which are carriers of the dengue virus, attack during the day. People need to exercise caution and watch out for mosquito breeding in and around their houses,” said Keskar.

The civic body’s insecticide department claims to have destroyed 6,977 mosquito-breeding sites between June and August 2016, according to the department’s report.

“In slums, mosquito-breeding sites were found mainly in drums outside their dwellings, which collect rainwater. The second-most common breeding sites were in tins and bottles,” said Rajan Naringrekar, insecticide officer, BMC. “In buildings, we usually find mosquito-breeding sites in defrost trays (behind refrigerators), flower pots and plastic boxes,” he said.