Mumbai: As the monsoon continues to pour down on the city, Mumbai has become the epicenter of several diseases. In the past two weeks, a total of 694 patients have been diagnosed with gastroenteritis, while 166 cases of dengue, 282 cases of malaria, and 53 cases of swine flu have been reported.
According to the BMC’s health department, the municipality has deployed a total of 3,000 beds in major and suburban hospitals to tackle the outbreak. The OPD services are also being continued from 4 pm to 6 pm to cater to the increasing number of patients.
To combat the spread of these diseases, the municipality has launched a public awareness campaign through a short film, ‘Bhaag Mahkar Bhaag’, featuring Marathi and Hindi film industry actors and celebrities. The campaign aims to educate citizens on the importance of mosquito prevention measures to prevent diseases like dengue and malaria.
The municipality has also taken strict steps to prevent deadly diseases like plague and leptospirosis by eliminating 2 lakh 39 thousand 527 rats that cause the spread of these diseases. In the last two weeks alone, as many as 13 thousand 255 rats have been killed.
The Mosquito Control campaign is being implemented effectively by the Pesticides Department to prevent the breeding rate of rats and possible spread of diseases. The municipal administration has informed that “mouse control” activities are being implemented to stop the breeding rate of rats, possible spread of diseases and destruction caused by rats.