The stench of garbage permeated the city is causing all sorts of health problems for the city’s residents. There is an increase of 10-20% in the number of gastroenteritis and typhoid cases admitted to hospitals in the past 10-12 days, and children are among the most affected.
“The heaps of garbage that are piled up along city roads and empty spaces are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests that cause vector borne diseases. Almost every day we are getting loads of viral fever, gastroenteritis and typhoid cases in our OPD. In the past 10 days, we have seen an increase in the number of such cases by almost about 10-20% and more children are affected,” said Dr. V.S. Pappu, paediatrician at Jayanagar General Hospital.
Dr. Shankar Prasad, medical superintendent at St. Philomena Hospital told Deccan Chronicle: “For the past two weeks we are witnessing an increase in the inflow of viral fever, gastroenteritis and typhoid cases by about 10%. On a daily basis we are getting about 8-10 cases of suspected dengue fever too.”
He says the uncleared garbage attracts rodents that have multiplied and spread diseases like leptospirosis and plague. Garbage left unattended will lead to further multiplication of houseflies thereby inviting yet another disease, cholera, in the city.
Dr Devaki Umesh, chief health officer, BBMP, says that every possible preventive measure is being taken. "In the past 20-25 days we are using bleaching power dissolved in water and spraying over the collected garbage and also using high concentrated phenyl near public toilets. In addition, we have informed all city hospitals to inform us if they are seeing an increasing number of vector-borne and water borne diseases."
A door-to-door larvae survey programme is also being conducted, she said. Of the 3.6 lakh houses surveyed, 12,756 houses have been identified as being vulnerable for mosquito breeding as they were keeping water collected in the open.