As monsoon arrives, Mumbai hospitals see rise in patients with viral fever, cold

Along with viral infection, cases of mosquito-borne diseases have also climbed this month.

The situation is the same in civic-run hospitals where separate monsoon units have been set up. (Representational photo)

Written by: Rupsa Chakraborty

3 min readMumbaiJul 16, 2023 02:15 PM IST First published on: Jul 12, 2023 at 09:48 PM IST

With the arrival of monsoon, patients with viral fever are flocking hospitals in Mumbai. The footfall of such patients has jumped in the last 10 days, said city doctors.

Every year, during the monsoon, the city records hundreds of viral fever cases. Dr Mihir Shah, physician (internal medicine) at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, said he is seeing an over 50 per cent rise in patients with complaints of cold, cough and fever.

“There has been an increase in cases of cold, cough and fever since July 1. Apart from the monsoon, this may be due to the opening of schools. Some of these patients have been diagnosed with influenza, some with seasonal coronavirus (not Covid-19) and respiratory syncytial virus,” said Dr Tanu Singhal, consultant, paediatrics and infectious diseases, Kokilaben hospital, which has also witnessed a 50 per cent surge in diagnosis of patients with viral infections.

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Doctors are seeing patients especially children with viral fever, including upper respiratory tract infections. In fact, almost seven out of nine patients have complaints of high fever, runny nose, asthma, cough and allergic bronchitis. “The most vulnerable age groups are children, older adults and those with compromised immunity like pre-existing diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease and cancer patients,” said Dr Shobha Subramanian-Itolikar, consultant (internal medicine), Fortis Hospital.

However, most patients admitted are recovering with IV hydration, antivirals, antibiotic treatment and supportive therapy. Dr Shah said those patients with complicated dengue fever, typhoid, pneumonia or fever of unknown origin required hospitalisation. “It is always advisable to run tests to rule out typhoid, dengue, malaria and Covid-19. Simultaneously, we start the treatment for all possible causes of fever compatible with the patient’s clinical features,” said Dr Shah.

The situation is the same in civic-run hospitals where separate monsoon units have been set up. At KEM hospital, Parel, on a daily basis, it is seeing over 100 patients with viral fever and respiratory infections.

Dr Subramanian also said that some people have shown recurrence of symptoms, although they are easily preventable by annual flu vaccination. “However, many people are unaware of it, which is why awareness about this vaccine is vital.”

Along with viral infection, cases of mosquito-borne diseases have also climbed this month. For instance, as per the data of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in the first eight days of July, 91 dengue cases were recorded in Mumbai compared to 61 in July 2022.

Doctors have advised against self-medication. “Diseases like malaria and dengue have similar symptoms like viral infection. So, people often tend to take the symptoms for granted until their condition deteriorates. Always consult doctors to avoid health complications,” said Dr Subramanian.