Maharashtra topped the country in dengue and malaria deaths last year.
The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) reported 48 dengue and 70 malaria deaths in the state in 2013.
NVBDCP director Dr Ashish Dhariwal explains why. “Unregulated construction activity, elevated levels of migration to the city and poor water storage facilities are the main reasons,” he said.
Mumbai, then, should be a sitting duck. “It has many abandoned textile mills and rail and ship yards that are ideal breeding grounds for the dengue mosquito," Dhariwal said.
With the outbreak of the disease in rural Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka, the situation is turning out to be even more alarming. Till now, dengue was widely believed to be restricted mostly to metropolitan cities.
So far in 2014, Maharashtra has recorded lesser number of dengue cases (132) than Kerala (380) and Tamil Nadu (339). That's cold comfort.
For one, “though dengue has become a global phenomenon, there are no drugs or vaccines available to curtail the disease.” Dhariwal says.
“Mumbai's proximity to the coast and rains are the other factors. We have seen prolific breeding of dengue mosquito in big cities,” he explains.
On malaria also, the state doesn't have much hope. The annual incidence of malaria is higher in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, but Maharashtra has more deaths.
However, India is doing much better in mosquito control than Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia. But dengue remains a challenge, Dhariwal admits.
A total of 359 malaria deaths and 167 dengue deaths were reported across India in 2013. This year, there have been seven malaria deaths and two dengue-related deaths, both in Kerala.
Deaths due to dengue:
Maharashtra – 48
Kerala – 25
Gujarat – 15
Deaths due to Malaria:
Maharashtra – 70
Orissa – 66
Meghalaya – 62
Though dengue is a global phenomenon as mosquitoes breeds inside houses and there are no drugs or vaccines available to curtail the disease.
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