A 14-year-old boy from Mumbai’s Kurla has died after being simultaneously infected with dengue, malaria and leptospirosis. A shocking detail was revealed in his medical history that despite being affected by three monsoon ailments, the boy had sought treatment from a local faith healer for nearly a week before approaching a hospital.
According to a report in Times of India, the teenager from Kurla (west) sought medical attention at Kasturba Hospital on August 14 with fever and jaundice when his situation did not improve after ‘treatment’ from faith healer.
At Kasturba, a dengue NS1 test came positive, as did a malaria test. To the surprise of the medical team, an additional test confirmed he also had leptospirosis, the report stated.
The 14-year-old’s condition started deteriorating as his creatinine levels rose and he developed breathing difficulties. Soon after he was shifted to Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, where he succumbed in ICU.
All the three monsoon ailments — malaria, dengue and leptospirosis — led to an acute respiratory distress. The boy was also placed on a ventilator in BYL Nair Hospital but he passed away in three days.
The TOI report quoted Dr Girish Rajadhyaksha, professor and unit head of medicine, as saying that they not only tried to manage his raging symptoms and multi-organ failure but also initiated treatment to combat the infections.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can affect anyone who has waded through waterlogged areas while both dengue and malaria are transmitted through mosquito bites and are currently prevalent in the city, Dr Rajadhyaksha said.
“It’s not impossible to be infected by all three simultaneously, but it is an extremely rare occurrence,” Dr Rajadhyaksha was quoted. He added that he has encountered only 2-3 cases of such concurrent triple infections in his entire career.
According to the report, the doctor said he could have been saved if medical help had been sought a bit earlier. “There is a possibility he had other autoimmune conditions that we aren’t aware of,” he further said.
The report quoted Mumbai doctors as saying that while cases of leptospirosis are relatively less now, dengue and malaria are surging. According to TOI, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation statistics released on Tuesday showed a rise in both malaria and dengue cases in August. There were 959 reported cases of malaria, an increase from 721 in July and 676 in June.
Similarly, dengue cases rose to 742, from 685 in July and 353 in June. Leptospirosis cases have dropped from 413 in July to 265 in August, the report stated.
The publication quoted physician Dr Hemant Thacker as saying that while malaria cases are largely mild, it is dengue where platelet count is crawling while on its way up.
“But overall severity and complications have been like any other year,” he said. Majority of monsoon-related admissions are for dengue now, the report stated.
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