Mumbai experienced a torrential downpour on Monday, stranding many commuters in various parts of the city. Citizens were forced to wade through mucky rainwaters to reach their destination. This has caused the civic health officials to sound alarm bells, warning the people about leptospirosis. They are directed those who have walked through the rainwaters to take antibiotics immediately.

Dr. Avinash Supe, BMC’s director of medical education has directed the people exposed to flood waters for more than an hour to visit a nearby civic hospital or dispensary and take chemoprohylaxis to prevent leptospirosis.

Here's a tweet by the Mumbai police released earlier this month:

As per BMC’s guidelines, a single dose of 200mg doxycycline or azithromycin should be taken within 72 hours of exposure. The medicines will be distributed for free at BMC’s dispensaries and clinics. Previously, the civic body had issued a warning after the torrential rains of August 2017, which forced many people to wade through flood waters. Already, a 15-year-old boy Bharat Ramdas Kale, a Kurla resident, is suspected to have died of the illness on Monday.

One of the commonest illnesses during monsoons is leptospirosis.

The disease is caused by the leptospira bacterium and is transmitted to humans from animal urine, especially that of brown rats. It’s a widespread problem during monsoons, seen mostly in the tropical regions. Infection occurs when a person makes direct or indirect contact with water that is contaminated with animal urine.People living in urban areas like Mumbai and Delhi are constantly exposed to these pathogens in environments that have inadequate sanitation and poor housing.

Dr. Mohammed Shakeel, HOD -Emergency & Trauma, Fortis Hospital, Kalyan, says that symptoms of the disease include muscle pains, headaches, fever and bleeding. The only way to avoid the disease is to stop venturing out in the rains or by keeping exposed parts of your body protected. Typically, these symptoms start showing 12 days after exposure.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2018 10:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).