The recent spell of showers that lashed the city has kept Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) health department on its toes. Health officials of the civic body fear an outbreak of monsoon-related diseases in the city. However,according to experts,the city will not see a rise in H1N1 cases. Experts in the health department say that there will not be an increase in swine flu cases in Mumbai and Maharashtra because of the rain, said Sharvaree Gokhle,additional chief secretary (health),state health department. Rain does not cause rise in H1N1 cases. It depends on humidity and temperature. Even though there is humidity and a slight dip in the temperature,it will not sustain for long, said Dr Jairaj Thanekar,executive health officer,public health department,BMC. But we are constantly monitoring the swine flu situation in the city, he said. As part of its preparedness for the second wave of H1N1 influenza,the BMC has increased the number of beds 10 more at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospitals Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This ICU will be exclusively for swine flu patients, said Dr Sanjay Oak,dean,KEM Hospital. Apart from KEM Hospital,Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion is also increasing the number of beds at its ICU. B Y L Nair Hospitals swine flu ICU is already functional. LTMG Hospital is in a process to increase the bed capacity by six to eight by mid October, said Dr Oak. An expected rise in number of leptospirosis,dengue and malaria cases is more warrisome, said Dr Oak. This monsoon,Mumbai witnessed a rise in Malaria cases and this will continue till the monsoon withdraws, said Dr Thanekar. We are closely monitoring the situation. We have already tightened the screening process through mobile vans for malaria along with H1N1, said Manisha Mhaiskar,additional municipal commissioner (health),BMC. Deaths due to monsoon-related diseases continue to rise in the city. During the past five days,(from October 1) the city has witnessed 12 deaths due to monsoon-related diseases,of which 10 are malaria deaths. On Monday,BMCs epidemiology cell reported two deaths due to Plasmodium falciparum malaria on Sunday and Monday. A 35-year-old man from Elphinston succumbed to malaria at KEM Hospital on Sunday and a 28-year-old man from Mahim died at Kasturba Hospital on Monday morning. Rain hits train servicesTrain services,especially on the Central Railway (CR),were disrupted due to heavy rains in the city on Monday. Trains were running late by 15-30 minutes due to waterlogging on the tracks. As many as 12 train services were cancelled in the evening. According to Shriniwas Mudgerikar,chief spokesperson,CR,the trains were running late due to waterlogging on the tracks between Sion-Kurla and Kalyan-Dombivali. In the evening,waterlogging of tracks led to bunching of trains between Dombivali and Kalyan. "There was a heavy downpour in Thane and Kalyan. In Kalyan,due to waterlogging,all the trains were slowed down. Poor visibility also affected the movement of trains between Thane and Kalyan," said Mudgerikar. - ENS
