FEVER PITCH

If there are rains, can viruses be far behind? The southwest monsoon, which hit India at the end of May, brought with it much-needed relief from the blistering summer, but also saw an alarming outbreak of a range of viral infections across the country. "

- Sonali Acharjee

Rain and high humidity are ideal conditions for the [breeding of] mosquitoes, who carry many of these viruses. On top of that, owing to high humidity, viruses transfer more easily between animals and livestock. Stagnant water, in particular, is the perfect breeding ground for viral outbreaks," says Dr Jatin Ahuja, senior consultant, infectious disease, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.

So while Gujarat has been reeling under the impact of the Chandipura virus (a relatively new strain of viral encephalitis, known to affect mostly children), Kerala has been battling the Nipah virus, swine flu has Mumbai, Pune and Rajasthan in its grip and West Bengal was put on high alert in June after the World Health Organization confirmed a case of human avian flu there, the first such in the country this year. The situation in Bengal seems to be under control since, but Maharashtra has seen outbreaks of Zika and dengue, as has Karnataka. Most of these viruses are old ones and, according to health experts, the sudden outbreaks are courtesy the changes in weather conditions.