Dengue claims 10-yr-old’s life

Malaria did not cause any fatalities over the weekend, but a 10-year-old girl died of dengue on Sunday. Dengue has now claimed six lives this month. Last week, a J.J. Hospital doctor died due to the fever.

Malaria did not cause any fatalities over the weekend, but a 10-year-old girl died of dengue on Sunday. Dengue has now claimed six lives this month. Last week, a J.J. Hospital doctor died due to the fever.

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Around 96 Mumbaiites were hopsitalised with malaria and six tested positive for dengue between Sunday and Monday morning. Till last week, nearly 200 people were being hospitalised with malaria each day.

Civic volunteers have been going door-to-door to treat stored water to keep a check on the breeding of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. “For the past three weeks, they have been spraying the chemical Abeto Temephose in diluted form in stored water to prevent mosquito breeding,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar.

The Aaedes Aegypti mosquitoes, which cause dengue, breed in fresh water, primarily in containers like earthenware jars, metal drums and concrete cisterns used for domestic water storage. Moreover, the mosquitoes bite during the day unlike the anopheles mosquitoes that cause malaria and bite at night.

Doctors have predicted a surge in dengue cases. “The city has had intermittent rain recently, which is perfect for the dengue-transmitting mosquito to breed,” said Dr Khusrav Bajan, in-charge of emergency medical services at P.D. Hinduja Hospital.

At least 643 people were hospitalised with monsoon-related ailments between Sunday and Monday. Of these, 486 had fever, 51 had gastroenteritis, 96 had malaria and three dengue. One more person tested positive for swine flu.