Malaria epidemic set to sting Mumbai

MUMBAI: The city is reeling under the annual attack by monsoon diseases. Cases of water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis and hepatitis have been on the rise since July. Now, the incidence of malaria is growing, say physicians.

According to figures provided by the BMC’s health department, 3,193 cases of malaria were reported this month, till Monday. A comparison with last year, when the disease peaked in September with 2,400 cases, shows that the peak has come much sooner this time.

Experts label these cases ‘urban malaria’ — a man-made problem. “Construction sites create new areas for water to accumulate and mosquitoes to breed,” said a BMC official. “Construction workers, who come from states like UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, where malaria is endemic, bring the parasites into the city.”

“An increase in number of cases is inevitable during the monsoon,” said Dr Ashish Tiwari, consultant physician at the Bombay Hospital, “as this is when the mosquitoes get an opportunity to breed easily.”

There are two strains of malaria — vivax and falciparum. The latter is deadlier and affects the brain. “Vivax is more common in the city,” said Tiwari. While vivax malaria can be treated with chloroquinine, falciparum malaria requires admission to hospital.

According to Dr Shekhar Shirvaikar, a general practitioner in Goregaon, there has been a rise in cases of both strains. “Since last week I have been seeing 30-40 patients a day showing symptoms of malaria,” he said. “The patients are mostly from Aarey Colony, Malad, and Goregaon, where a lot of construction activity is in progress.”

Other mosquito-related ailments like dengue and chikungunya have also been reported, though there has been no alarming increase, he said.

Public health authorities, however, say that general practitioners start treatment on the basis of symptoms like high-grade fever, chills, shivers, and severe headache. But the presence of these symptoms does not necessarily indicate the presence of the malarial parasite.

“Commencement of treatment as early as possible is desirable,” said Dr ME Yeolekar, dean of Sion Hospital, “and doing it on the basis of suspicion is technically acceptable.”

Meanwhile, the BMC is doing its bit. “Many patients have told me that BMC officials have come to their homes to take blood samples,” said Shirvaikar. Dr Jayraj Thanekar, executive health officer, said the BMC had been keeping watch on monsoon diseases since June 1. “We do both disease control and vector control (mosquito and larvae control), with special emphasis on construction sites,” Thanekar said.