Malaria cases reduce as monsoon ends

With monsoon almost over, the number of malaria cases in the city have drastically reduced.

With monsoon almost over, the number of malaria cases in the city have drastically reduced.

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While there were 5,551 cases of malaria in August and 2,160 in September this year, only 1,860 cases were registered in October. The death toll has gone down from 47 in August, when the epidemic was at its peak, to eight deaths this month.

The Lancet, an international medical journal, has reported that malaria is killing more Indians than estimated. It pegged India’s malaria deaths at 2.05 lakh each year — 13 times the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate of 15,000 deaths a year.

Last year in Mumbai, about 180 people died of malaria and 39,659 people tested positive for the disease. This year, malaria has already claimed 185 lives and more than 22,128 positive cases have been reported.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, end of monsoon is the primary reason for reduction in malaria cases.

“We have also been treating stale water accumulated at construction sites, along with testing and prescribing radical anti-malarial treatment to migrant labour, which has helped curb the disease,” said Girish Ambe, executive health officer, BMC.