Mumbai: The blame lies with the unusual pattern of heavy rainfall interspersed with dry spells, but Maharashtra has been hit by monsoon-related Infectious diseases 57 people have been killed so far this year, according to the state health ministry.
The highly contagious H1N1 flu was the deadliest, claiming 24 lives. choleraa water-borne disease, claimed three lives, while dengue fever and malaria, both transmitted by mosquitoes, claimed a total of 22 lives, with 15 and seven deaths respectively.
Dengue fever has emerged as the most prevalent viral infection this monsoon, with the number of cases increasing by 41% to 8,315 in the first eight months of the year. The number of malaria cases has also increased by 41%, standing at 11,808 as compared to 8,376 cases in the same period last year.
Chikungunya, another viral fever transmitted by mosquitoes and characterized by severe joint pain, has not caused any deaths, but the number of cases has increased by 73% this year: 1,871 were reported, compared to 497 in the same period in 2023.
H1N1formerly known as swine flu, affected 1,338 people, including 37% of cases in Mumbai (506). Waterborne cholera and hepatitis claimed 10 lives this year, a sharp increase from the single death last year. Leptospirosis, contracted by wading in floodwaters, claimed one death.tnn