Leptospirosis Claims Second Life in Mumbai This Monsoon, 28-Year Old Succumbs to the Illness at Sion Hospital
Leptospirosis, seen commonly during the rains, has already claimed two lives in the co
Close in the heels of Mumbai’s first leptospirosis-related death, another person has succumbed to the illness in the city. The victim is a 28-year-old Shivaji Nagar resident Imtiaz Mohammed Ali, who died at Sion Hospital, according to a report in The Times of India.
Imtiaz was admitted to the hospital after he complained of fever and breathlessness. His symptoms were quite severe, so he was admitted to the ICU facility of Saturday. But a doctor at the hospital told TOI that the patient’s lungs were already affected. He died following a multiorgan failure.
This is the second case of death due to leptospirosis in the city, after a 15-year-old boy from Kurla succumbed to the disease earlier this week. The BMC has recorded 10 cases of leptospirosis between the months of January and May. The civic body is still in the process of collating the figures, as per reports.
Monsoons are a precarious time for illnesses such as leptospirosis, since the disease is mainly spread through water. The disease is spread through the bacteria leptospira present in the urine of animals, mainly brown rats. During rains, the infected urine of these animals get mixed with the rainwater. If a person wades through the floodwaters during rains, the bacteria can enter the body through small nicks or cuts on the skin.
The symptoms of the disease start showing within 12 days. The person may experience fever, intense headaches, muscle pain, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis and skin rash.
Many officer goers in Mumbai had to wade through the mucky rain waters during the torrential rains on Monday. In the light of this incident, the BMC has reached out to the people who had walked through the water to take a 200mg dose of Doxycyline within 24-72 hours of exposure, after consulting a doctor. If cuts and wounds on the body has been exposed to rainwater, then the same dose of the drug should be taken once daily for three days within 24-72 hours.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2018 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).