According to RTI data compiled by an NGO, Praja Foundation around 7,650 people from Mumbai died due to various diseases ranging from malaria, TB to typhoid. Among these diseases, TB was the biggest killer taking 7075 lives according to the death certificates in BMC's public health department. In the last 6 years, over 45,000 died due to TB.
According to Milind Mhaske, project director of the Praja foundation, 'Through this data that is being maintained since September 2004 under the Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Act 1969, we have found major discrepancies in the reporting system of deaths caused by diseases like TB, malaria, dengue, among others. He added: 'According to data released by BMC in 2014, only 1393 people died due to TB and 30 due to malaria. While RTI data for the same period from cause of death certificates issued by the BMC themselves under RBD Act reveals that this year, 7127 already succumbed to TB and another 199 due to malaria. This is mainly because the BMC only compiles data from their own hospitals and not private or state-run hospitals.'
BMC records suggested that 30 died due to malaria while the death certificates suggest around 200 people lost their lives because of it. Another persistent disease was diarrhoea which affected 1.2 lakh residents and caused 255 deaths while water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid resulted in seven and ten deaths respectively. Dengue deaths also rose to 108 in 2013.
What is diarrhoea?
Diarrhoea is a condition where a person passes 3 or more loose watery stools per day, or that is more than normal for that person. It may be accompanied with fever or stomach pain. Usually the patient will feel weak and may experience a loss of appetite, may have vomiting, pain and cramps in the stomach or abdominal region and in severe, chronic cases even drastic weight loss. Read: Diarrhoea - causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention
What is typhoid?
Also called as enteric fever or typhoid fever, it spreads easily through contaminated water, unhygienic food and drinks. The bacterium is carried by the infected people in their intestine and bloodstream and it passes through the urine and feces. Once inside the body, the bacterium multiplies faster and quickly spreads into the bloodstream from intestine. Also, even after recovery from the disease the bacterium is still present in their system making them the carriers of the disease. Read: Typhoid - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a common infectious disease caused by bacteria called mycobacterium tuberculosis which affects the lungs. Main symptoms of TB are severe cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, bloody or discoloured sputum, night sweats, fever, fatigue and weakness, pain in the chest, loss of appetite, and pain during breathing or coughing. India had the highest total number of TB cases worldwide in 2010 partly due to poor disease management by the private healthcare sector. TB can be prevented by vaccination and maintaining high levels of hygiene. One infected, the patient should follow the medication regimen properly. By not doing so, there are chances of developing resistance to anti-TB drugs resulting in an aggressive form of TB called MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant TB). Read: Tuberculosis -causes, types, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
What is dengue?
Dengue refers to a tropical disease caused by four different types of virus. It is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito-bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It's particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it's caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills over five thousand Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons. Read more about the dengue causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention
