Epidemiological study to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of monsoon-related diseases in the city of Mumbai

Abstract

Background: The onset of monsoons in Mumbai poses an additional health disease burden in the form of rising vector-borne and water-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, leptospirosis, hepatitis, typhoid, chikungunya, and acute gastroenteritis. These monsoon-related illnesses are preventable with hygienic and sanitation measures that are likely to have been adopted during COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of monsoon-related diseases in the city of Mumbai and find out determinants of variations if any. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. Universal sampling was done using secondary data collected from the Epidemiological Cell of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). Data mining was performed to obtain the trends of the monsoon-related diseases in Mumbai. Results: COVID-19 pandemic has remarkably affected the city of Mumbai with approximately 3 lakh cases till December 2020. MCGM has taken a lot of efforts resulting in a recovery rate of close to 95% with less than 3% mortality. With the effective use of social behavior change communication, which focused on masks, frequent hand washing, and social distancing, there seems to be a decline in monsoon-related illnesses in the year 2020 as compared to the previous two years of 2018 and 2019. Conclusion: Monsoon-related illnesses are impacted by behavior and lifestyle modifications like hygiene and environmental sanitation practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights the importance of these universal hygienic practices and their utility in the long-term reduction of monsoon-related illnesses.