The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has warned that cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease, may spike following heavy rainfall in the financial capital as monsoons lashed the city.
Leptospirosis spreads through the urine of infected animals and can lead to liver failure, kidney damage, respiratory problems, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around spinal cord and the brain), and even death.
Individuals who walk through stagnant water and have injuries in their feet or body parts fall in the ‘moderate risk’ group with leptospirosis.
“Citizens have to walk through stagnant or flowing water during heavy rains. The same water may contain leptospirosis, a bacterium called leptospira. Lepto microorganisms are transmitted to rainwater through the urine of animals such as rats, dogs, horses, buffaloes, etc. If a person comes in contact with such contaminated water, he is more likely to be infected with leptospirosis,” Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, told India Today.
Health experts said people are requested not to ignore fever and desist from self-medication. If they have symptoms like fever with chills, joint pains, rashes, cough, breathlessness, diarrhoea, vomiting, sore throat or jaundice, then they should immediately visit a nearby dispensary or inform the community health volunteer or consult their doctors.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in Maharashtra for the next five days, with an orange alert issued for Mumbai on Friday.
The financial capital of India was hit by monsoon woes on Monday with the first day of heavy rainfall. Traffic jams for hours, waterlogging on arterial streets brought life to a standstill in Mumbai.
The India Meteorological Department has also issued warning for Palghar, Thane and Raigad, saying that due to strengthening of westerly winds along the west coast, in association with low pressure area (due to cyclonic circulation over Bay of Bengal), widespread rains with heavy go very heavy falls likely to continue in coastal Maharashtra from June 10-15.
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