Nalasopara Flooding: Doctors warn of rise in patients affected by water contamination

Mumbai: Doctors have warned that there could be an alarming rise in the number of patients affected by vector-borne diseases in Nalasopara, where carcasses of rats, cat and dogs are rotting in the open. Water contamination can lead to diseases such as amoebiasis, diarrhoea, cholera, dengue and cause fungal infections.

Also, leptospirosis, an infectious bacterial disease that causes symptoms such as fever, headache and chills, is contracted by walking for 30 minutes or longer in water contaminated with animal waste. The concentration of gram negative bacteria and anaerobes may also increase in contaminated water, causing respiratory problems.

Dr Nishigandha Naik, Director, Haffkine Institute, explains that in monsoon, when dirt gets mixed with water, disease-causing bacteria tend to proliferate, causing skin infections, etc. She has advised those who were marooned to get vaccinated for cholera and typhoid as a precautionary measure. Dr Om Shrivastav, Drector Infectious Diseases, HIV medicine and Immunology, Jaslok Hospital, also feels residents of Nalasopara should take precautionary measures as they were in water for over three days.