Though malaria has become rampant in the whole of Mumbai, it is the posh and up-market south Mumbai area that has been worst hit by the mosquito-borne disease.
‘Byculla, Worli, Prabhadevi and MP Mill Compound in Colaba are more prone to the disease’
Though malaria has become rampant in the whole of Mumbai since the advent of the monsoon, it is the posh and up-market south Mumbai area that has been worst hit by the mosquito-borne disease. “Over 60 per cent of all malarial infections in the whole of Mumbai are in South Mumbai area,” said Kishore Hargoli, in-charge of disease control, BMC.
“We collected 39,906 blood smears in June, out of which 1,914 tested positive for malaria. While 682 out of 12,959 blood smears collected till July 10 are malaria positive,” said Hargoli. He said that malaria cases have been on the rise in South Mumbai, including Colaba, Byculla and Parel in both the months.
The prevalence of ‘mixed malaria’ is the biggest worry with the presence of vivax and falciparum in the test.
“About 20 per cent of all the cases that tested positive are of the falciparum variety, which has the highest rates of complication and mortality,” said Hargoli. Patients with falciparum malaria develop complications in liver, kidneys and brain, resulting in death. All six cases of death have been due to mixed malaria, three of them being patients from south Mumbai.
The BMC health officials have identified areas in South Mumbai like Byculla, Ghas Bazaar, Agripada, Simplex Mill Compound, Daru Khana, Dattar Dargah, BIT Chawl in Worli and Prabhadevi area, and Nana Chawl, Tulsiwadi and MP Mill Compound in Colaba, as the areas that need to be tackled on a priority basis.
South Mumbai faces multiple problems, which make tackling mosquitoes that carry malarial parasite difficult, according to BMC health officials. “South Mumbai has a number of closed mills, where rainwater gets collected. This is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Then there is also heavy construction activity,” said Hargoli.
Another problem is the repairing and ship-breaking industries in the dockyard area. “Labourers who work in this industry are people who come from malaria-prone states like Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and UP. Rainwater gets collected in the ships anchored almost a kilometre away from the shore,” he added.
“Malaria is a cause of concern in south Mumbai,” admitted Dr Jayaraj Thanekar, BMC executive health officer. “We have augmented our disease control measures as
well as pesticide control measures, and are taking steps to tackle it. Do not let water stagnant in and around your homes.”
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