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Around 70% of Mumbai’s Malaria Cases Are Being Reported from Five BMC Wards


Around 70% of Mumbai’s Malaria Cases Are Being Reported from Five BMC Wards
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Given the recent spurt of rains across Mumbai, cases of malaria are seeing a sharp increase as per official data. It is revealed that a total of 3,099 malaria cases were reported from the city over the past 8 months. 

What’s more concerning is that around 70 per cent of these cases came from five wards belonging to southern Mumbai. Wards like D, E, F South, G North, and G South reported 2,157 cases of malaria among the 3,099 cases across the metropolitan region.

Officials have previously said that the spike in cases can be largely attributed to the fact that a lot of the under-construction buildings and even some metro projects have been temporarily abandoned, while the intermittent rains over the past few months have only made things worse.

Though the authorities have conducted disinfection of breeding sites, it’s clear that the lockdown has aggravated the situation in some areas. With several residents leaving Mumbai during the initial days of the outbreak, the concern remained that these vacant homes could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. It is said that under-construction metro projects are also seeing the growth of breeding sites.

However, not everybody is impressed with the BMC and its preparations. “Every year, a large number of malaria cases are reported from slums like Dharavi and Govandi. Despite this, BMC didn’t fog the areas and clean the mosquito breeding grounds. As most people are staying inside due to the lockdown, many of them living in these congested areas are getting malaria, and the number will rise further,” Jitendra Tandel from Rugna Kalyan Seva Samajik Sanstha said.

 The challenge for the doctors treating patients with malaria is that the symptoms of COVID-19 are fairly similar to that of malaria. Keeping this in mind, those that come in for malaria treatment are also tested for COVID-19. 

Also Read - Mumbai: Sealed Buildings Up To 7,099; Containment Zones At 568

Dr. Gautam Bhansali, Consulting General Physician at Bombay Hospital said that although there have been cases of co-infection in Mumbai, it’s not too prominent. Co-infection in this context is a phenomenon wherein the patient has caught both COVID-19 and malaria.

“I have seen two such cases where patients with malaria also tested positive for Covid-19. A co-infection can prove fatal for patients above 50 years of age with comorbid health issues,” he added.

So far, two patients have died due to a mix of malaria and COVID-19 infections with one being a 27-year old male belonging to the G North ward, while the other was a 40-year old male from M East. Both deaths occurred in early August.

Among the five wards in Mumbai that have around 70% of the total malaria cases, G South has reported the highest number of cases at 1,055 as of August 31. On the other hand, E ward recorded 478 cases of malaria while F South saw 267 cases. Wards G North and D reported 233 and 124 cases respectively.

Also read - Parts Of Mumbai Witnessing A Rise In Malaria Cases As Per Official Data


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