MUMBAI: In a span of 48 hours,
leptospirosis has claimed its
second victim in the city. A 28-year-old resident of Shivaji Nagar in Govandi, Imtiaz Mohammed Ali, died on Tuesday at the civic-run
Sion hospital.
Ali was admitted to the medical ICU on Saturday with fever and breathlessness. He was almost immediately put on a ventilator, but his lungs were already affected by then, said a doctor. He died of multiorgan failure.
Ali’s death comes a day after a 15-year-old Kurla boy died of leptospirosis. The BMC has recorded 10 leptospirosis cases between January and May; the figures after the arrival of rains are still being collated. Leptospirosis cases usually see a spurt during monsoon as people wade through water that could be contaminated with the bacteria.
BMC has advised citizens to take prophylactic treatment whether or not they have developed symptoms. A person who does not have wounds or cuts on the body and has waded through water only once can take Doxycycline 200mg single dose within 24-72 hours of exposure, after consulting a physician. Those with cuts or wounds should take Doxycycline 200mg once daily for three days within 24-72 hours of exposure, officials said.
Representative image