Fall in temperatures conducive for swine flu in Mumbai

Mumbai is experiencing changes in weather for quite some time now. A week earlier, it was boiling at close to 40 degrees during afternoons and cooling down to around 15 to 16 degrees during morning hours. But now as the day temperatures are being recorded at around 32 to 33 degrees while the morning ones are hanging in early twenties, doctors believe that such change in temperatures with rise in humidity level are conducive for the spread of H1N1 virus that culminates into swine flu.

According to Mahesh Palawat, head of forecasting at Skymet Weather, the rise in humidity level is due to westerly winds. “Earlier the weather in Mumbai was experiencing southeasterly to easterly winds that were keeping temperatures high during the day, cool northerly to northwesterly winds were prevailing during the night and morning hours thus minimum temperatures were below normal. In a week, wind conditions changed and westerly to northwesterly winds took charge in Mumbai during daytime and dropped the temperatures to below 35 degrees. Westerly winds from the Arabian Sea increased the humidity level”. The low temperatures with high humidity levels have created conducive weather for the spread of HIN1 virus.

Mumbai has not recorded any swine flu deaths but 15 people have died and 986 people have tested positive for the virus in Maharashtra until now this year. In 2012, Mumbai reported 360 swine flu cases and five deaths.

 

Photograph by markhillary