60% dengue cases from non-slum areas

Facing flak over the outbreak of dengue in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Tuesday, said that 60% of the cases are from non-slum areas.

Facing flak over the outbreak of dengue in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Tuesday, said that 60% of the cases are from non-slum areas.

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According to the civic body’s statistics, E-ward that has areas such as Byculla and Mumbai Central reported maximum cases of dengue.

The ward has witnessed 33 cases in October and 133 cases since January. Thirty-one cases of dengue have been reported in G-south ward, which has areas such as Worli, Parel and Prabhadevi.

Criticised for its collection of data only from civic hospitals, the BMC has now decided to collect data from private hospitals too. Around 702 cases of dengue have been reported in the city this year, of which 198 were reported in the first three weeks of October.

According to the civic body, 180 cases of suspected dengue have been reported from private hospitals in October, of which 45 have been confirmed.

Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner, said, “The breeding spots for Aedes mosquitoe, which causes dengue, are generally flower pots, tin cans and used paper cups. There has been a 25% drop in the number of dengue cases after the second week of October. The third week witnessed only 55 cases of dengue compared to 75 in the second week.”

Adtani said that the BMC plans to rope in local citizen groups to spread awareness about the disease.

“We plan to tap into our advanced locality managements (ALMs) and housing body network to spread awareness about the preventive measures,” he said.