Mumbai: Malaria cases fall in two wards in city

BMC uses the fog machine to prevent the breeding of mosquitos. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Malaria data from areas like G-South, which includes Worli and Mahalaxmi, showed a decrease in cases in June compared to the previous year. In contrast, cases in G-North, which includes Dadar, Dharavi, and Mahim, have remained similar to those in 2023. The two wards have traditionally reported comparatively higher cases of both dengue and malaria, attributed to water accumulation and construction activities.

There has been almost a 60 per cent reduction in malaria cases for June in G-South. Last year, the ward reported 93 cases, while this year there were only 39 cases. "Prevention and surveillance activities started in May. We conducted house-to-house surveys, and any case of fever was immediately tested and treated," said an official.

Weekly fever camps were also held in areas like Dhobi Ghat and BDD chawls. "We identified certain hotspots from the previous year and carried out targeted interventions. Even at construction sites, we arranged for weekly doctors' visits and closely monitored these sites to ensure they followed BMC protocols, such as removing excess water," the official added.

He noted that the reduction is significant, considering the intermittent rain pattern observed so far. "It creates favourable conditions for mosquitoes to breed due to humidity, which is dangerous for the spread of malaria." The officials also mentioned that there have been only a couple of cases of dengue.

In G-North, the number of cases has been around 30, the same as the previous year. Another official said, "We have not allowed the number of cases to increase substantially. Most of these cases are reported from Gokhale Road, Shivaji Park, Velkar Wadi, and Matunga Labour Camp. These are the same areas that report cases every year. All have been treated on an OPD basis. For dengue as well, there has been only one case in June."

He added, "We are confident that this year's situation with both dengue and malaria will be under control as the monsoon progresses."

Private doctors have also noted a decrease compared to the previous year but believe malaria cases may spike this month. Dr Manjusha Agarwal, a general physician at Global Hospital, said, "We had two patients admitted for dengue: one was 64 years old, and the other was 18. Both have been discharged. We have not seen as many patients for either dengue or malaria; out of the two, dengue can be very concerning as it poses complications. A significant number of dengue cases were observed around this time last year." There were more than 3,000 dengue cases and over 4,000 malaria cases reported in Mumbai by the end of the last monsoon.