The health situation in Ahmedabad is getting worse as mosquito-borne illnesses like cholera keep spreading throughout the ongoing monsoon season. The health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has released data that indicates a notable increase in a range of ailments from August 1 to August 17. This underscores the difficulties that the city’s public health system faces.
Ahmedabad recorded 345 occurrences of dengue, 110 cases of malaria, 18 cases of falciparum malaria, and 35 cases of chikungunya throughout the course of these 17 days. Furthermore, 35,391 cases of viral fever were reported, highlighting a larger problem with illness in the city. The health agency took 55,155 blood samples for additional analysis and evaluated 4,524 serum samples for possible dengue.
Cholera has become a very serious threat. There were 299 cases of jaundice, 485 cases of typhoid, 22 cases of cholera, and 541 cases of gastroenteritis during that same period. Compared to 35 instances in 2022 and 95 cases in 2023, the number of cholera cases in 2024 has already risen to 193. Many places, including Danilimda, Behrampura, Gota, Lambha, Indrapuri, Ramol Hathijan, Vatva, Ranip, and Asarwa, have been impacted by the latest outbreaks.
Several actions have been taken by the health department in response to these occurrences. They analyzed 9,139 samples for chlorine and found that 378 of them had negative results. They also tested 3,430 samples of water for germs and found that 143 of them were dangerous to drink. The management and mitigation of the spread of waterborne infections is a continuous endeavor that includes these actions.
An unnamed AMC health department official emphasized the aggravating consequences of the weak monsoon rains, which provide the perfect environment for mosquito reproduction. Dengue and malaria infections are on the rise, partly due to increased mosquito activity. More than 150 new cases of dengue and more than 50 instances of malaria have been reported in the city in the last week alone, indicating a rising threat to public health.
The circumstances in Ahmedabad serve as a stark reminder of the difficulties encountered during the monsoon season, when diseases carried by vectors as well as by water can spread rapidly. Although the health department is aggressively attempting to contain these outbreaks, ongoing surveillance and public health initiatives are imperative given the high number of cases that have been documented and the favorable environmental factors that facilitate the spread of the disease.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
