The mill land in and around South Mumbai may be expensive in the realty market, but it is also proving to be a dangerous breeding ground for mosquitoes causing malaria. Alarmed by this development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now decided to rope in firemen to conduct fogging operations in mill compounds.
According to the civic health department records, 1,418 cases of malaria have been reported in the city’s private and public hospitals since June 1. On Friday alone, 63 patients with malaria were admitted to the city’s hospitals. The disease has also claimed four lives since June 1, said civic health authorities.
The figures also throw up an interesting fact that most patients, who tested positive, were migrants working at construction sites. “Construction sites pose a huge problem as they are breeding spots for mosquitoes. Also, the workers suffering from malaria are from the north and north-eastern states like Orissa, West Bengal, which come under the ‘the malaria belt’,” said an officer from the civic health department.
According to doctors in the city, there are an equal number of cases of both strains of malaria - vivax as well as falciparum. However, what is worrying is that the vivax strain, which hitherto had been milder than falciparum, is showing signs of increasing severity. “Nowadays, we are seeing patients with vivax also getting serious. In the last fortnight, I have seen about 20-odd patients - half of them suffering from vivax - who have required hospitalisation,” said Dr Pradip Shah, consultant physician, Fortis Hospitals at Mulund.
“My advice to patients is to keep their surroundings hygienic and see to it that no water collection occurs near their buildings, as this is where the female anopheles mosquitoes breed.”
According to the civic body, Kurla has been identified as the worst-hit locality. “I am treating about four fresh cases of malaria, mostly vivax strain, every day,” said Dr Sharad Menon, Kurla-based paediatrician. Fortunately, vivax strain is easier to pick up, so the diagnosis is easy, he added.
The BMC has taken several measures to tackle the mosquito-borne menace. “Many times, construction workers don’t allow the BMC staff to enter construction sites for fogging. We are planning to rope in firemen for this task,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner.
“The BMC surveillance officers in every ward office will also go door-to-door and screen patients with high fever for malaria. The surveillance officers will then go back after 15 days and check the patient again for malaria symptoms, as that is how long it takes for the parasite to fully mature and start affecting a person.”
Mhaiskar assured that the BMC is doing everything possible to control the menace. “The civic body has distributed brochures on malaria to private practitioners as these cases reach the clinics first,” she said.
