Eye-flu to stomach ailments: Major cities grappling with monsoon illnesses

Major cities in India are grappling with heavy rains and rising infections – ‘eye-flu’ or conjunctivitis, stomach ailments, vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue have seen a significant surge in recent weeks.

After Delhi, which was reporting hundreds of conjunctivitis cases daily, now financial capital Mumbai has seen a 20-25 percent surge in cases of what is commonly being called the ‘pink eye’.  News agency ANI reported this week that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi alone was getting at least 100 cases of conjunctivitis everyday. This viral infection typically coincides with the flu season.

Mumbai doctors say that in the last one or two weeks there has been a 20-25 percent surge in such cases, and most of the patients are children. As such monsoon related illnesses in the city are on the rise (see chart). Dr Divya Gopal, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai said that there is a 30-40 percent rise of monsoon related diseases in the last month, and this is similar to the rise seen every year during this season. Elderly patients with co-morbid conditions often need hospitalisation.

Dr. Saurabh Varshney, senior Consultant, ophthalmology, Primus Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi said that they are getting 74-75 cases of dengue, malaria, rashes, typhoid etc diseases per week. “Surprisingly, there has been a sudden surge in cases of eye infections, specifically conjunctivitis. We are seeing almost 15-16 patients a day and more than 45-46 patients in the past one week. The increase in these Conjunctivitis cases has caught the attention of health authorities,” he added. This is a contagious condition that causes redness, itching, and discharge in the eyes.

The monsoon's humid and damp conditions provide an ideal breeding ground for the viruses or bacteria responsible for these infections to spread rapidly, the doctor explained.

Interestingly, doctors feel that the current variant of the virus has exhibited an alarming level of contagiousness, thereby contributing to its swift and extensive transmission within the community.

Varshney said that from just 2-3 cases in April-May, now the cases of conjunctivitis have surged by almost 70 percent. “These figures stand in stark contrast to the same period last year (July 2022), where Delhi NCR reported 646 cases, and the nationwide total reached 1202 cases. The significant surge in the current outbreak underscores the urgency of proactive measures to curb the spread and protect public health,” he told Business Standard.

Down south, Hyderabad too is reporting a rise in cases of conjunctivitis, malaria, dengue, flu and typhoid.

Dr. Dilip Gude, Senior Consultant Physician, Yashoda hospitals Hyderabad said they are getting patients both in OPD as well as in-patient services.

“Most cases can be treated on an out-patient basis but about 5 percent of flu cases need admission and in-patient management. Those who are tested positive for dengue and malaria and leptospira numbers have increased at least by 15 percent in the last 3 weeks,” he said.

In-patient admissions also have increased proportionately. Dengue incidence has also increased by about 15 percent with most of them requiring in-Patient treatment.

“Leptospira is more common in the rainy season and especially with the last few weeks of incessant rains and floods, the incidence of in-patient leptospira cases has actually increased. Scrub typhus incidence in both OPD and In-patient department incidence has increased,” he said.

Monsoon related diseases in Mumbai

Disease	July 2022	June 2023	July 2023 (upto 23rd)
Malaria	563	676	495
Lepto	65	97	249
Dengue	61	353	406
Gastro	679	1744	1274
Hepatitis	65	141	111
Chikungunya	2	8	20
H1N1	105	90	61

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation