Only 2 malaria cases in Navi Mumbai so far this year

With precautionary measures on the rise, only two cases of malaria have been detected so far this year in Navi Mumbai while they were six during the same period last year

With precautionary measures on the rise, only two cases of malaria have been detected in this year so far while there were six during the same period last year.

Ahead of the World Malaria Day on April 25, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has arranged various awareness campaigns across the city. Only two malaria cases have surfaced in Navi Mumbai so far this year. (HT PHOTO)

According to Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), malaria is in the elimination phase. The Central Government has fixed 2030 as the deadline to eradicate malaria.

In 2021, a total of 19,741 samples of blood smears were collected, of which six were found to be positive from January to April. Meanwhile, during the same period this year, 21,065 samples were collected, of which only two were found to be positive. There has been an increase of smear collection by 6% in 2022 while the cases have gone down by 66% in the first four months.

Medical officer, Dr Ujwala Oturkar, said, “On the occasion of World Malaria Day on April 25, NMMC has been doing a series of events to spread awareness. The precautionary measures have been going on continuously due to which the number of cases has gone down. We are making sure that there is no stagnant water anywhere and all the fountains are also running continuously due to which the breeding of the mosquitoes does not happen. We have also started destroying the tyres and water accumulated in scrap materials. The guppy fishes have been introduced in water bodies. We use all biological methods to curb the breeding of mosquitoes keeping in mind that the water is not polluted.”

“Whenever we find a positive case, a hundred houses surrounding that house are checked thoroughly for stagnant water and breeding of mosquitoes. The idea is to find the origin of the disease and destroy it completely,” medical health officer, Dr Pramod Patil, said.

From April 4, the corporation had arranged for various events across the NMMC-run schools in Navi Mumbai. Every health worker was given the task of checking at least 100 houses for indoor breeding and destroying the same, if found. Awareness campaigns for school students, senior citizens and housing societies were also arranged.