14 dengue deaths in mumbai till october, officials blame unprecedented rainfall

Mumbai: A majority of the dengue deaths in Maharashtra are from Mumbai; reveals data. Of the 18 dengue deaths reported this year in the state, 14 were from Mumbai; two from Kalyan and Dombivali; and the remaining two from Thane, as per data compiled in October. According to civic health department officials, this year, the city experienced unprecedented rainfall which resulted in an increase in the number of mosquito breeding spots.

Across the state, 4,203 dengue cases have been reported, with 18 people dying of the disease this year. According to the report released by the civic health department, in October alone, 212 confirmed cases of dengue and 3,293 suspected cases of dengue (patients with dengue-like symptoms) were admitted to various civic-run hospitals in the city.

Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer, BMC, told The Asian Age, “We have started fumigation at various sites that our people have found and are destroying mosquito breeding spots completely.”

“One must be careful with fever-like symptoms. Especially parents need to be careful with children and make them wear appropriate clothes to avoid mosquito bites,” she cautioned.

Dengue is a vector-borne disease. 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.

The National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme stated that the country witnessed over 1 lakh suspected cases of dengue and 187 deaths due to dengue till October 29.