Malaria stings city with vengeance

 

 

Mumbai: The BMC’s war against mosquitoes notwithstanding, malaria has struck the city with a vengeance.
    BMC epidemiology cell head Dr Daksha Shah said malaria incidence is at least thrice more than that in last year. Figures suggest that this year, around 42,000 people were down with malaria, while the number was 26,021 in 2008. The more shocking fact is that 250-odd residents died of malaria this year, a figure more than double (118) that of last year.
    “However, we hope the number of cases will go down as our coverage has improved and we have also had special drives,’’ Dr Kishore Harugoli, assistant health officer, malaria surveillance, BMC, said. “We tested more than 8 lakh samples,’’ he said, adding that all vacancies for technicians were filled up to strengthen the anti-malaria drive.
    State entomologist Ashok Bhonsale, who is also the state project director of the National Vector-Borne Control Programme (NVBCP), said Mumbai accounted for about 40% of Maharashtra’s malaria cases this year. For the death toll, Mumbai’s share is 70%-80%.
    However, Shah added that malaria had been checked to some extent at least in December. Compared to 1,665 patients hospitalised and 35 deaths reported in the first three weeks of November, civic hospitals admitted 1,165 cases people in December. Nineteen deaths have been reported in the same period.
    However, private practitioners claimed that the situation might not be all that hopeful as shown in the civic statistics.
    The medical officers, however, have some good news: dengue cases have dipped. BMC health reports say there have been only 87 cases of dengue in civic hospitals till December 21. Dr H Thacker of Jaslok Hospital said, “Though dengue cases have gone down and malaria was under control 10 days ago, this week again, malaria seems to be raising its ugly head.’’