Monsoon is still away, but after the recent pre-monsoon rains, Mumbai has experienced an increase in seasonal fever, cough, and respiratory problems. Doctors too have noted a rise of bacterial and viral infections, which has been a result of this sudden weather shift from dry heat to humidity.

As per the Santacruz observatory, 34mm of precipitation from Tuesday to Thursday was noted. This has marked the heaviest May rainfall in Mumbai since 2021. It has almost quadrupled the monthly average.

Why Are People Suddenly Falling Sick?

The sudden shift in the temperature, especially the unexpected humidity interferes with the body's ability to regulate temperature. It also makes it more difficult to flight infections. This has also led to an increase in visits to municipal hospitals, the increase is noted by 30 to 40% with prevalent symptoms being fatigue, sore throats and cough.

Who Are More Prone To It? How To Stay Safe?

Senior citizens, and anyone with pre-existing health conditions are more prone to such complications. The BMC has also recommended that residents practice hygiene routines, including wearing masks, and seeking medical advices in case symptoms last for more than three days.

BMC has also asked to promote preventive actions, such as cleanliness and vaccination. As more unseasonal rainfall is anticipated, healthcare professionals too are gearing up and emphasizing on the importance of early diagnosis. They are also advising against self-treatment.

What Is Flu?

One of the common ailment that has come up is flu. The symptoms usually include fever, cough, body aches, chills, fatigue, and general discomfort.

There could also be additional symptoms, which include sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and a decrease in appetite. People have also reported diarrhea as one of the symptoms, including vomiting.

This comes due to infection and persistent dry cough. Body aches also affect the back legs, and head chills signal a fever.

What Makes Flu Dangerous?

Flu or influenza is one of the common viral infections that most people experience. While most people recover within a week or two, there could be some who may experience complications, including pneumonia.

The interplay between flu and pneumonia is quite concerning to those vulnerable groups of people such as children, elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immunity. It's essential to know how flu leads to pneumonia, recognize early signs, and take preventive measures in order to keep the respiratory health safe.

Influenza mainly infects the respiratory system, leading to an inflammatory reaction in the throat, nasal passages, and lungs. The body, in its course of operation, will most of the time end by killing the virus, hence recovering fully. However, in some cases, the flu can lead to pneumonia in two major ways:

Viral Pneumonia: The influenza virus itself can directly infect the lungs, causing pneumonia. This is known as viral pneumonia and is more common in individuals with weaker immune systems.

Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia: The flu can weaken the immune system, making it easier for bacteria to invade the lungs. This secondary bacterial pneumonia often leads to more severe symptoms and requires antibiotic treatment.

Ever since the Trump administration has come in power, a lot has changed in the United States' health sector. Until recently, amid a lot of statements, including trying to find a link between vaccine and autism, banning fluoride from water, and more, the 47th US President Donald Trump also spoke on childhood cancer rates. He said that it was a priority of his administration to tackle this issue.

What Did He Say?

He said, "Since 1975, rates of child cancer have increased by more than 40%. Reversing this trend is one of the top priorities for our new presidential commission to Make America Healthy Again, chaired by our new secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr."

He also highlighted a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor, whom he also invited as a special guest to attend his address.

How True Is This Claim?

The claim of 40% increase in childhood cancer has not found any ground, however data does show that the rates have increased in the past decades.

As per the National Cancer Institute, in 2025, an estimated 2,041,910 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States with 618,120 people dying from the same. The rate of new cases of cancer is 445.8 per 100,000 in men and women per year, based on 2018-2022 data.

The cancer mortality rate is at 145.4 per 100,000 in men and women per year, based on 2018-2022 data.

The data also states that an approximately 38.9% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes.

What Do Experts Say?

According to a pediatric oncologist who spoke to ABC News, there is an important context that is missing in that statement. The pediatric mentioned that there were effects of advances in early detection and possible environmental factors.

As per Dr Prensner, an assistant professor of pediatrics and of biological chemistry in the department of cancer biology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, the rates have gone up because the diagnoses have also gone up.

What The Data Shows?

As per a study published in journal PLOS One, which was conducted by researchers in the US, Germany, and Jordan, it was found that childhood cancer rates in America have increased by 33% since 1975. The study also found that incidences of childhood cancer surged from 14.23 cases per 100,000 children between 1975 and 1979 to about 18.89 cases per 100,000 children between 2010 and 2019.

The increase rate was specifically found in leukemias, lymphomas, brain tumors, hepatic tumors, and gonadal germ cell tumors.

Another report by the US Environmental Protection Agency found that over the last 40 years, the number of children who were diagnosed with leukemia has also increased by 35%.

Prensner says that this is because there is now better detection, all thanks to early screening of cancer. There are also improvement in medical tests and are now commonly used, which had not been the case some 50 years ago.

Talking to ABC News, he said, "These include dramatic, dramatic improvements in the ways that we can image patients with CAT scans and MRI scans. This includes improvements in the way that we monitor and screen certain patients. We have much more information now about patients who may have what's called a cancer syndrome, meaning they are at a higher risk to develop cancer."

He said that such patients are monitored actively so early diagnoses can detect cancer before they are able to spread.

The health of an expectant mother is very fragile. There are many different aspects one needs to be aware of, especially since it is not just the mother's health that is affected, but also that of the baby she is carrying. Some women also experience health issues during pregnancy, some of which include gestational diabetes, infection, preeclampsia, mental health issues and high blood pressure.

However, do these problems affect the children as well? In what ways? According to Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, high blood pressure during pregnancy makes it hard for the blood to reach the placenta. The placenta provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, making its growth slow and placing he mother at risk of pre-term labor. However, can this cause the same condition in the baby?

In a new study published in the JAMA Network Open, researchers looked at a lot of information collected over many years from families across the United States. They found that almost half of the mothers in the study had at least one of three specific health issues while they were pregnant. Being overweight was the most common problem, followed by high blood pressure during pregnancy, and then diabetes that developed during pregnancy. These findings help us understand how often these issues occur and who might be at higher risk.

How Does A Mother’s Health Affect The Baby?

The study showed that kids whose moms had health problems during pregnancy tended to have higher blood pressure readings throughout their childhood. Specifically, the top number in a blood pressure reading was noticeably higher, as was the bottom number. This difference, even if it seems small at first, could potentially lead to health problems later in life. The researchers emphasized that a mother's health can directly influence her child's heart health.

What's also concerning is that the blood pressure in these children didn't just start higher; it also seemed to go up more quickly as they got older. Both the top and bottom numbers of their blood pressure readings increased at a faster rate each year compared to children whose mothers didn't have these pregnancy complications. This faster increase suggests that the initial difference in blood pressure could become even more significant over time.

Other Factors That Were Considered

The study also found that some groups of children were more affected than others. Girls seemed to experience a greater impact on their blood pressure compared to boys. Additionally, Black children showed a more significant increase in blood pressure over time when their mothers had pregnancy-related health issues. This highlights the importance of considering these factors when thinking about children's heart health and potential interventions.

The researchers believe that these findings are important for how we think about children's health. By identifying and addressing health issues in pregnant women and their children early on, we might be able to change the course of their future health. They also pointed out that current medical advice doesn't usually suggest checking blood pressure in healthy-looking kids, but this study suggests that even small early differences can add up, making earlier screening potentially beneficial for some children.

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV continues to remain a major global public health issue, and has claimed an estimated of 42.3 million lives to this date, notes the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite its prevalence, there are many myths associated with the condition. While it is a fact that HIV is spread from body fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids, it is not spread through saliva.

Why Can't You Spread HIV With Saliva?

As per the 1999 study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, titled Why is HIV rarely transmitted by oral secretions? Saliva can disrupt orally shed, infected leukocytes, notes that oral transmission of HIV by the millions of HIV-infected individuals are a rare event.

Another 2006 review, published in journal Oral Diseases, titled Oral Transmission of HIV, reality or fiction? An update, notes that HIV and many other viruses can be isolated in blood and body fluids, including saliva, and can be transmitted by genital-genital and especially anal-genital sexual activity. The risk of transmission of HIV via oral sexual practices is very low. Unlike other mucosal areas of the body, the oral cavity appears to be an extremely uncommon transmission route for HIV.

Why Saliva Is Not An HIV Carrier?

Saliva contains several proteins and enzymes that serve various functions, including beginning the digestion process, assisting in mouth lubrication and fighting off germs.

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) is an enzyme found in saliva, mucus, and seminal fluid. It helps protect the immune system by preventing HIV from infecting monocytes and T cells, two types of white blood cells.

Saliva thus also contain higher levels of SLPI than vaginal and rectal fluids. This could be the reason why HIV does not spread while kissing.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person cannot transmit HIV through saliva or closed-mouth kissing. However, CDC also notes that in extremely rare cases, a person can transmit HIV through “deep, open-mouth kissing if both partners have sores or bleeding gums and blood from the HIV-positive partner gets into the bloodstream of the HIV-negative partner.”

Other bodily fluids that do not transmit HIV include sweat and tears.

Examples of What Won't Spread HIV?

• Kissing
• Sharing food or drinks
• Using the same bathrooms
• Touching and shaking hands

So, How Does HIV Spread?

HIV is transmitted through certain body fluids, particularly when they come into contact with mucous membranes, broken skin, or are directly injected into the bloodstream. Here’s how it can spread:

• Unprotected sex – HIV can be passed through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without the use of protection.
• Blood transfusions – Though rare today due to rigorous screening, it remains a possible route.
• Sharing needles – People who use injectable drugs face a high risk if they share needles or syringes.
• Mother-to-child transmission – The virus can be transmitted during childbirth or through breastfeeding.

Certain behaviors and situations can raise the risk of HIV transmission. Being aware of them can help you take effective preventive steps:

• Unprotected sex – Not using condoms during sexual activity increases the risk.
• Sharing needles – Using or sharing contaminated needles can transmit the virus.
• Multiple sexual partners – Having several partners can heighten exposure to HIV.
• Being born to an HIV-positive mother – The virus can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.