Lepto claims 2 young lives in Goregaon

MUMBAI: Leptospirosis claimed the lives of two young Goregaon (West) residents in the past 10 days, as hospitals have reported a spurt in cases from the area. The bacterial disease has already claimed nine lives in the months of June and July.
Among the deceased were a 19-year-old girl from Shastri Nagar and a 27-year-old man from Motilal Nagar. Both died of multiple-organ failure after developing severe lung injury at S R V Hospital.
The 19-year-old, who had a history of wading through water, was brought to the hospital after being treated in another smaller medical centre for two days.The girl allegedly was suspected to be suffering from dengue and not leptospirosis. “By the time she came to us, she had full blown acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)—a lung injury that can be fatal. We put her on the ventilator, but she went into multi-organ failure. She succumbed on July 30,” said Dr Abhay Vispute, intensivist and chairman of S R V.
The second death occurred on August 4. The 27-year-old deceased had walked into the hospital’s outpatient department with high grade fever and breathlessness and was advised hospitalization. The man said he used to reside close to a cattle shed and would walk past it daily. “He came to us on the third day of developing the symptoms. He too developed ARDS, which leads to acute kidney injury and doesn’t allow antibiotics to work optimally. Hence, it’s important that people seek medical care without wasting time,” said Dr Vispute. He added they treated at least seven cases in the past fortnight, of which three were critical but have come out with aggressive treatment.
At the BMC-run Siddharth Hospital, too, cases are being reported. A doctor said, “We have treated a few cases from Goregaon, Kandivli and Malad. Some have needed aggressive antibiotic management.” A BMC official said there has been a spurt in cases following the heavy rain of July’s last week. “Cases are coming from all parts of the city.”