Mumbai Doctors diagnosed with dengue after August 29 deluge

At the onset of monsoon, worried by the past few years’ dengue incidence and malaria infections on the premises, resident doctors had initiated awareness campaigns this year.

Heavy rainfall and water stagnation have taken a toll on doctors living in hostels of government hospitals, with at least seven dengue cases diagnosed in KEM in the past 15 days and four others at Sion hospital last month. Till Monday, three doctors remained admitted in KEM hospital for dengue treatment. The surge has been noticed since the deluge on on August 29.

Of the three resident doctors, a woman intern was discharged Tuesday from the intensive care unit while two others from the gynaecology and the medicine departments were discharged Monday. Other doctors who contracted dengue were from medicine, surgery and gynaecology departments. “All of them are stable. No one is currently diagnosed with dengue in the hospital,” said KEM dean Dr Avinash Supe, adding that a few doctors opted for private treatment while others got admitted to the hospital.

According to resident doctors, a breeding site was found last month in an under-construction building in Parel near the resident doctors’ hostel. At the onset of monsoon, worried by the past few years’ dengue incidence and malaria infections on the premises, resident doctors had initiated awareness campaigns this year. While the KEM hospital administration undertook fogging last month through the insecticide department, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) urged doctors to maintain cleanliness, drain excess water and apply mosquito repellent for prevention.

“Every year, we form a team for KEM hospital to inspect breeding spots and destroy them. This year, before and throughout the monsoon, a team has been constantly inspecting hostels, residential quarters and hospital premises to destroy breeding sites of anopheles and aedes mosquitoes,” said a senior civic official from the insecticide department. In JJ hospital, resident doctors said no case of dengue infection had been diagnosed this year. “Extra care was taken to keep the premises clean of water stagnation,” said a member of MARD.