South Mumbai falls prey to dengue
Twenty-five-year-old Sharon is worried. Her parents have been admitted to hospital with the dreaded dengue virus. And it looks like she may not be the only one.
Says Dr Pratik Samdani, consulting internist, Bhatia Hospital, “Bhatia hospital itself has 15 cases right now. The hospitals in South Mumbai easily have around 300 dengue cases.”
But it’s not only upper-crust Mumbai. Doctors in private hospitals say there has been a sudden rise in dengue cases across the city since last month. But what’s surprising is the reaction of the civic authorities.
Jairaj Thanekar, executive health officer, BMC, says, “There are no cases from private hospitals reported to us. Why should I comment when there is nothing?”
If that sounds like a cover-up, the regular update released by the municipal authorities only supports their case. Mumbai is dengue-free according to the figures. Ever since the massive outbreak in Delhi, Mumbai has tried to wish the disease away, but it seems only to have worked on paper.