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Delhi records first malaria deaths in 5 years, toll at 6
NEW DELHI: Six people have died due to malaria in Delhi this year breaking the Capital’s five year streak of no malaria casualties.
NEW DELHI: Six people have died due to malaria in Delhi this year breaking the Capital’s five year streak of no malaria casualties.
Two of the six were residents of East Delhi while the others were brought to Delhi hospitals from the neighbouring states for treatment, shows Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) data.
All the six deaths were reported by the East Municipal Corporation, which indicates East Delhi and beyond are bearing the brunt of the outbreak. “Most likely the people died of malaria, but the cases are still listed as suspected because the review committee still has to verify them as malaria deaths. Since, malaria is a notifiable disease, deaths cannot be counted without a committee verifying it, just like dengue,” said Dr DK Seth, director, hospital administration, municipal corporation of Delhi.
This year, the civic body has recorded 22 malaria cases, of which five were recorded in September. The first reported malaria death this year was of 31-year-old Praveen Sharma, who died of complications at Safdarjung Hospital on September 4. Sharma succumbed to cerebral oedema— accumulation of excess fluid inside the brain— and multi-organ failure.
“We investigated this case and found that the man went for treatment five days after he got fever. By the time he reached the hospital, his condition was complicated,” said Dr Neena Valecha, director of National Institute of Malaria Research.
Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes that causes fever, headache, chills and vomiting. “Infection with malaria parasites may result in a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from absent or very mild symptoms to severe disease and even death. In general, malaria is a curable disease if diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly,” according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“People may die of malaria if they do not get timely treatment either because they are not diagnosed or can’t reach a healthcare centre. Despite the best possible care, some develop severe symptoms and die of complications,” said Valecha. “The mortality rate may vary between 10-20%, depending on the level of parasite in the blood and the kind of hospital or clinic one is being treated in — a hospital with blood bank an ICU, for example, will be able to better manage a complicated case.”
In Africa, children below the age of five are at highest risk of complications and death, but in India it’s teens and young adults. “In India, though the incidence varies with location, the prevalence is highest in people between the ages of 15 and 45, most likely because they step out to study, play or work and are more exposed to infected mosquitoes,” said Dr Valecha. “There are, however, no predictors for who will develop severe symptoms.”
Unlike dengue and chikungunya which are caused by viruses and do not have any medications, malaria is caused by a parasite. “There are very effective malaria medicines, which is the reason countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives have been able to eliminate the disease. The mosquitoes that transmit malaria are there, but the countries have gotten rid of the parasite,” said Dr Seth.
