With the monsoons fully hitting Mumbai and its suburbs, there is a marked increase in cases of dengue and malaria, the doctors noted and asked people to protect themselves against water- and water-related vector-borne diseases.
“Since the monsoons arrived, we have observed cases of monsoon infection. Symptoms of viral (infection) and Covid-19 (infection) tend to overlap with each other. If one is having joint pain, fever, chills, cough, sore throat, tiredness, runny nose, or loss of appetite for more than three days, then he/she should do a Covid-19 test to check for infection,” said Dr Vikrant Shah, consulting physician, intensivist and infectious disease specialist at the Zen Multispeciality Hospital in Chembur.
According to Dr Shah, cases of viral infection are on the rise because of the monsoon-related sudden weather changes.
“People get drenched in rain or end up wearing wet clothes for a longer time, and this can raise their chances of getting a viral infection. Currently, there is a surge in malaria and dengue cases due to mosquito breeding in rainwater,” he said.
Dr Tushar Rane, internal medicine expert at the Apollo Spectra Hospital, said, “Dengue cases are rising in Mumbai, while other diseases such as malaria, leptospirosis, and chikungunya have gone down. To prevent dengue, wear full-sleeved clothes to avoid mosquito bites, use mosquito repellents, close windows in the evenings, keep the surroundings clean and avoid water stagnation near the house. Mosquitoes prefer damp and dark places.”
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