Preventive measures fail to stem malaria, chikungunya cases in Gurgaon

Gurgaon has already reported 23 confirmed cases of malaria this year

Even after multiple awareness campaigns and preventive measures, the positive and the suspected cases of malaria and chikungunya in Gurgaon have shown no signs of abating this week and have, in fact, increased as compared to last week.

The health department has stepped up its anti-larvae operation and has been carrying out fogging across the city. (Parveen Kumar/HT FILE)

Twenty-three cases of malaria have been recorded so far this year, of which 11 were reported this week, the health department said. Health officials said that another 15 confirmed cases of chikungunya have already been reported in the city this year.

While the number of suspected malaria cases this year have already shot up to 250, suspected chikungunya cases have risen to 12. In more worries for city health officials, six confirmed swine flu cases and five dengue cases have also been reported this year.

Patients who were diagnosed with dengue or chikungunya complained of high fever, sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, muscle pain and traces of blood in stool.

SS Saroha, deputy civil surgeon, civil hospital, Gurgaon, said, “We are aware that the number of patients suffering from malaria and chikungunya in the city have increased over the past one week.However, these are fresh cases, as many who had been diagnosed earlier have recovered. We have put out an alert and are taking all necessary measures to prevent an outbreak.”

Rajesh Kumar, senior consultant, internal medicine, at a private city hospital said, “Of late, cases of malaria in Gurgaon have increased due to intermittent showers and flooding of streets in and around the city. Unlike dengue-carriers, mosquitoes causing malaria breed on unclean and stagnant water. The malaria symptoms become manifest within 10 days or 4 weeks of a person getting infected.”

After getting word of fresh dengue cases this week, the health department deputed officials to conduct a ground survey of the areas where the patients reside and it threw up several worrying facts, topping which were the random dumping of garbage and stagnant water for mosquitoes to breed on.

The health department has stepped up its anti-larvae operation and has been carrying out fogging across the city to prevent an outbreak. Haryana government has already set sights on becoming a malaria-free state by 2020.

In 2016, 38 malaria cases were reported in Gurgaon. In the previous three years, the city recorded 67, 79 and 212 cases respectively.