 "Image via Shutterstock")
Maharashtra government has classified dengue as a 'notified disease' which will now enable officials to enter residential premises to check for larvae breeding of the dengue causing Aedes aegypti mosquito, state Public Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant has said.
Notably, health workers from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had last year served notices to some Bollywood actors for not taking measures to prevent breeding of mosquito larvae at their residential premises.
"Compared to last year, the number of malaria patients has declined. The government will distribute 1.10 lakh mosquito nets sent by the Central government in regions where malaria cases have been reported," Sawant said.
He said last year, there were 442 cases of dengue in which two deaths were reported. This year, 14,203 cases of dengue have come to light and two deaths reported so far. But the mortality rate in case of dengue has come down.
Nearly 2,800 health workers have been imparted clinical management training to deal with dengue cases, he said.
Sawant said that last year 14,201 malaria cases were detected, whereas this year till June end 9,378 cases were found and no deaths have been reported so far.
Swine flu cases have also come down as compared to 8,583 cases of the viral infection detected last year. This year only 68 cases of swine flu have been reported, he said.
Referring to the rise in cases of water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis, the minister said that authorities have been asked to do mapping of drinking water sources.
"So far (this year), 31 cases of gastroenteritis have been detected, 25 cases of diarrhoea, nine cases of hepatitis, one case of typhoid and five cases of cholera have been detected in the city," he said.
Most of the cases of water-borne diseases have been detected from BMC's M and R civic wards, he noted.
Sawant said that health officials have been asked to conduct surprise visits to hospitals in Mumbai to check for stocks of medicines and hygiene conditions.
The minister also said the government has intensified its drive against companies in the business of selling ice.
"I have asked the FDA to intensify drive against companies selling ice. The source of water they use needs to be ascertained to keep in check water-borne diseases. Since there is a spike in water-related ailments cases, we have decided to conduct a massive drive to control diseases spreading through water," he said.
A survey conducted by the BMC last month had found ice cubes samples collected from hotels, roadside vendors and juice centres to be contaminated by E Coli bacteria. E Coli is known to cause food poisoning symptoms such as abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.
