Saturday, August 13 2005 11:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The death toll due to suspected leptospirosis and other water-borne ailments in flood and rain-ravaged Mumbai and adjoining Thane district mounted to 93 yesterday (Aug 12, 2005) even as 906 more people were admitted to hospitals here with similar complaints.

Of the 93 people 58 in Mumbai and 35 in Thane who lost their lives, health authorities confirmed three deaths in Thane of rat fever and nine rat fever patients admitted in hospitals for treatment. But there was still no official confirmation of rat fever deaths in Mumbai.

Mumbai's Joint Municipal Commissioner Manukumar Srivastav told sources that there were 81 suspected leptospirosis cases admitted to hospitals while there was one death each due to malaria and gastro.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh visited several hospitals in northern Mumbai and later told reporters that the situation was under control and there was no epidemical situation in the metropolis.

A Central team headed by Director General (Health), Dr S K Agrawal visited Mumbai yesterday and toured the disease-hit regions, besides holding a meeting with the Chief Minister.

The team brought along diagnostic kits for leptospirosis as there is no such facility available in Mumbai.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has drawn 71 more doctors of private medical colleges from Mumbai and outside to augment its health force to fight the fever and water-borne diseases, sources said.

According to Srivastava, till date 3,261 persons were admitted in Mumbai with fever or symptoms of water-borne diseases.

The State Government too has stepped up its efforts to treat patients with high fever and Maharashtra Director General (Health) Dr Subhash Salunkhe told reporters that the Government would bear the cost of treatment by private hospitals.

Most of the hospitals in Mumbai and Thane district have added beds to its capacity to accommodate the increased inflow of patients. In KEM hospital in Mumbai, 178 more beds have been added while the Sion hospital has added 78 more beds, sources said.

Similarly, the Bhabha, Cooper and V N Desai hospitals in western suburbs have also created special wards for fever patients, sources added.

Meanwhile, all these hospitals have deployed undergraduates, additional doctors and non-clinical staff on the job of blood sample collection and data collection while the Government ordered a door-to-door survey in Mumbai and Thane district to identify fever patients who could be potential leptospirosis cases.

Health Minister Vimaltai Mundada, who is a doctor by profession, had said the next few days would be crucial since 15 days have lapsed since the July 26 heavy rains in Mumbai and the incubation period for rat fever ranges between four to 21 days.

Health authorities have assured people that rat fever was not a communicable disease and can be cured if treated on time.