The teenager suffered acute respiratory distress and low platelet levels, and died on September 4, officials said. (Representational)A 16-YEAR-OLD boy, who died on September 4, was the first to succumb to leptospirosis this monsoon in Mumbai, the state health department has confirmed recently. There has been a slight rise in the bacterial infection cases in the city with 54 recorded in September, up from 45 cases in August.
The Matunga boy, health department officials said, had developed chills and fever on August 31 and was hospitalised two days later. By then he developed breathlessness, cough, and low urine output.
As the boy had waded through waterlogged streets during the rains, as submitted by his family, a leptospirosis test was conducted, result for which came positive.
The teenager suffered acute respiratory distress and low platelet levels, and died on September 4, officials said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has advised people who have waded through waterlogged roads to take prophylactic medicine within 72 hours. Private practitioners have been also asked to administer doxycycline to all fever patients during monsoon. Each patient with monsoon-related ailment also has to be tested for Covid-19 as symptoms for these infections are similar.
Apart from leptospirosis, the civic health department noted 661 cases of malaria in September as compared to 1,137 in August. September also saw 14 dengue cases, a slight rise from 10 in August, and 91 gastroenteritis cases, up from 53 such cases in August. There were 15 hepatitis cases recorded in September, again a small rise from 10 in August.
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