Analysing monsoon ailments this season, doctors say the city suffered regular monsoon ailments along with rise in dengue and H1N1 cases. Doctors at private hospitals are increasingly recommending tropical fever panel PCR tests for patients presenting with symptoms of monsoon-related illnesses, aiming for accurate and rapid diagnoses. These tests can detect the DNA or RNA of multiple pathogens from a single sample, allowing for swift and precise identification. The diseases commonly detected include dengue, malaria, leptospirosis, chikungunya, and H1N1—all of which are reported in high numbers in Mumbai during the rainy season.

However, the tests are expensive, costing between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. “It can provide results for everything within the first week, so patients can be put on appropriate treatment accordingly,” said Dr Hemalata Arora of Nanavati Hospital. This August, malaria cases increased from 1,080 in the same month the previous year to 1,171, dengue cases rose slightly from 999 to 1,013, chikungunya cases surged from 35 to 164, leptospirosis cases decreased from 301 to 272, gastroenteritis cases dropped from 978 to 694, hepatitis cases increased from 103 to 169, and H1N1 cases rose from 116 to 170.