The Mumbai monsoons this year have indeed been unpredictable. While the past week has brought clear skies and breezy mornings, the previous week’s heavy rains serve as a warning for the upcoming monsoon months. Mumbai may be going through a dry spell, yet the overwhelming rainfall in the first week of July and the city’s unpreparedness pose serious threats. Following the torrential monsoon, earlier on Friday, July 8, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) released an urgent leptospirosis health advisory. While common during the monsoon, the bacterial disease threatens to affect citizens wading through stagnant and contaminated floodwater. However, rest assured, there’s nothing to worry about. Here’s what you need to know about the disease, how it spreads, and precautionary measures against it.
BMC Leptospirosis Health Advisory
While Mumbai prepares to navigate the heavy rains, the city’s governing body, BMC, has warned citizens to stay vigilant of their health. Even though BMC hasn’t released an absolute total of 2026 leptospirosis cases, it has issued city-wide health warnings with potentially fatal consequences. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that is transmitted through the waste from animals, especially rodents. It spreads through contact with water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals. But it cannot spread from person to person. Mumbai’s waterlogged urban streets and overflowing drains become a thriving ground for this disease-causing bacteria. Moreover, those with open cuts, wounds, and skin abrasions are especially at risk.
Symptoms and treatment
With floodwater mixing with sewage, mud, and animal waste, the risk of infection increases for anyone wading through stagnant water. The bacteria can survive for weeks and even months in warm, humid, and flooded conditions, even after a period of rain. Repeated exposure further increases the chances of infection. However, one of the biggest challenges of leptospirosis is its close resemblance to a common viral fever, such as fever, headache, body aches, muscle pain, chills, and fatigue. Nevertheless, if early diagnosis is missed, it can spread rapidly, causing kidney failure, liver damage, lung bleeding, and even meningitis.
BMC leptospirosis health advisory suggests seeking a doctor’s advice as soon as one notices symptoms. Early treatment can make a big difference. According to Hindustan Times, high fever, muscle pain, especially of calves and lower back, vomiting, eye redness, skin rashes, and diarrhoea are the first signs that one shouldn’t ignore. Furthermore, the advisory suggests seeking medical advice and beginning preventive treatment within the first 72-hours of exposure to flood or stagnant water.
The BMC is further providing free check-ups and medications at Aapla Dawakhana clinics, BMC dispensaries, and municipal hospitals.
Safety tips and preventive measures
Precautions are always better than a cure. According to the BMC Leptospirosis health advisory, simple cautionary actions can go a long way.
- Avoid walking through floodwater whenever or wherever possible.
- While walking in the rain, wear waterproof boots and protective clothing (like raincoats).
- Treat and cover cuts, wounds and abrasions.
- Shower thoroughly with soap upon contact with floodwater,
- Maintain good sanitation and avoid stagnant water around homes and workplaces.
- Do rodent control around your house and workplaces.
- Seek professional medical help if fever develops rather than resorting to the internet or self-diagnosis.
