Pune women falling prey to mysterious breast infection!

Zee Media Bureau

Pune: Women in Pune seem to be pretty disturbed of late and with good reason. Falling victim to a mysterious infection that targets the breasts has been doing the rounds and is slowly becoming a cause for major concern.

The infection consists of symptoms such as lump development, pus formation, unusual discharge and swelling of the breast and may also cause a change in the shape of the breasts.

This kind of infection, that is mostly seen in lactating mothers and/or TB patients and diabetics has shifted its focus to young females with no history of any disease at all.

This has been creeping up gradually since the past year. According to a report in the Times of India, every month, at least six new cases are detected, compared to five years ago, when only one or two showed up every two months. The age group suffering from this as-yet-undiagnosed infection, too, has gone down. Where before it was mostly women in their 40s, it is now in the 20s and 30s.

Doctors and other medical experts are baffled with the onset of this infection. The only consolation is the fact that it's not cancer.

Dr Anupama Mane, consultant breast surgeon at Ruby Hall Clinic told the Times of India that, "The shift in age and the increase in numbers are worrisome. The troublesome part is that no cause has been detected so far. There are several theories, but nothing has been fixed yet. This means we lack a standard protocol for treating such cases and the infection takes a long time to heal — sometimes several months."