Navi Mumbai
Of the total 4.13 lakh mosquito breeding spots visited during monsoon by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), around 1,500 spots were found positive. Even as there is a slight increase in the suspected dengue and malaria cases this year as compared to last year, the number of positive cases is almost the same. The NMMC claims that the increase in reporting has led to the increase in suspected cases.
“The increase in the number of suspected cases is mainly due to the emphasis on monitoring every patient closely for the symptoms. Along with preventive measures, we are emphasizing on timely reporting of the cases to give the right treatment at the right time. During the monsoon months, it is difficult to conduct fogging and we would resume it once the rains take a break. When the rain stops for many days, the water remains stagnant and that is when there is a chance of an increase in mosquito breeding. During that period, one has to be aware about the stagnant water in the house or around,” a Health Officer from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said.
This year, NMMC has collected a total of 79,053 blood smears till July while it was around 55,000 last year. The positive malaria cases found last year till the month of July was 20 while this year it went up to 26 cases. In July alone in both years, 14 positive cases were found. Last year of the 452 suspected cases of dengue,6 were confirmed while this year of the 468 suspected cases two have been confirmed.
The Corporation claims that while the corporation-run hospitals send the suspicious samples to Pune NIV for confirmation of the suspected dengue patient, not all private hospitals do the same. The officer also added that the sample sending procedure is only for recording the dengue patient officially while the lone of treatment remains the same whether confirmed from the NIV or not. As part of the routine procedure, the corporation has sent notification to all private hospitals, nursing home and laboratories to report all epidemic cases to local supervising authority as per Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration (amendment) Rules 2021 to keep a tab of all suspected dengue and malaria cases in the city.
As a part of the preventive measures from vector borne diseases, the health workers have visited 22.40 lakh homes to check on the stagnant water and to spread awareness on the steps to take to avoid malaria and dengue. Of the total 4.13 lakh breeding spots checked, 1482 were found positive. The NMMC has started 340 camps to spread awareness about vector-borne diseases.
