Monsoon woes: 2 kids test positive for cholera in Mumbai

Mumbai is reeling from many cases of water borne diseases like jaundice, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis-cholera has also been added to that list. Two children have tested positive at the Sion hospital on Friday.

“The samples of the two children have shown presence of the cholera organism. One is from Antop Hill and the other from Bhiwandi. They are presently being treated and both are recuperating,” confirmed a senior doctor from the Sion hospital.

Their reports have been sent to Kasturba hospital on Friday evening. The patients were hospitalised with complains of vomiting, loose motions and stomach cramps. Doctors treating them said that they exhibited classic symptoms of cholera, like sunken eyes, stomachache and severe dehydration.

The doctor, however, said that these two cases are not a case of classic cholera and are sporadic. “None of the two cases are classic cholera that is deadly. We do get such sporadic cases during monsoons. Many-a-times, the mild choleras go undetected as they are not tested. But majority of cases in the out-patient department (OPD) are of stomach ailments,” said the doctor.

Talking about mild and classic cholera, Dr Amit Maydeo, consulting gastroenterologist, Breach Candy hospital, said, “In mild cholera, the a strain of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae are milder and releases lesser toxic material in the body. In classic cholera, the patient looses 10-20 litres of fluid and this is life threatening. However, if there are sporadic cases of mild or classic cholera reported in any part of the city, the administration needs to properly control it as they both are infectious.” Earlier this year, in January, Bandra (East) was under medical scanner after few cases of cholera were reported.

A total of 1,823 people had to be admitted to civic-run hospitals due to gastroenteritis and more than 250 for jaundice. Two deaths due to gastroenteritis have been recorded. What has alarmed the civic authority even further is that the majority of cases are being reported from the H-East, E, L and F-North wards. The BMC is also planning to do micro-mapping of the four main areas from where the majority of gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and jaundice cases are being reported.