Weekly medical camps diagnose and treat patients after community health workers go door-to-door identifying people with flu-like symptoms; rise in number of dengue cases also reported
Health workers at a medical camp, at MP Mill Compound in Tardeo
Every year, the monsoon brings with it numerous viral and bacterial diseases, and it is the health workers at the ward-level who keep the spread under control. “At the ward level, we closely monitor the weekly trends of diseases in every area,” explained Dr Prajakta Amberkar, the medical officer for D ward, where a community medical camp was organised recently.
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Health camps
At the health camp at MP Mill Compound in Tardeo, residents received free medical consultations, blood tests and medicines. Such weekly outreach programmes are routine in every ward and help reduce the spread of numerous diseases, said officials. Community health workers go door-to-door to notify residents about the camp. “These health workers are crucial because the selection of camp locations relies on prior door-to-door surveys where they take note of flu-like symptoms,” Dr Amberkar said. “There have been 20 dengue cases in D ward between August 1 and 18, including nine confirmed cases and 11 suspected,” she added.
Malaria cases up in M East
Meanwhile, in M East ward, which is considered one of the most deprived and high-risk wards in the city, there has been a rise in malaria cases, said Medical Officer Dr Sanjay Funde. “We have been holding community camps in collaboration with various NGOs. We managed to control the spread this month. There have been no fatalities so far,” Dr Funde told mid-day. M East ward has reported 25-30 malaria cases and around 10 dengue cases. “We have increased the number of HBT clinics since August 15, to 12 from seven before,” he added.
No alarming rise
From August 1 to August 20, Mumbai has reported 704 malaria, 217 leptospirosis, 495 dengue, 660 gastroenteritis, 18 hepatitis, 14 chikungunya and 100 H1N1 cases. Health officials saw a rise in dengue cases this year, which was attributed to several construction projects across the city as well as unusual weather patterns. However, the BMC’s health department has not recorded any alarming increase in any of the diseases.
704
No of malaria cases in Mumbai from Aug 1-20
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