MONSOON IS SEEING MOSQUITO’S DEADLY STING

Construction, Pollution Being Blamed For High Number Of Malaria Cases, Deaths

Mumbai: It is quite likely that the city is this year witnessing its worst assaults of malaria, even as there has been the worrisome emergence of mixed malaria.
    Nine people died due to complications arising from malaria within a week, said BMC officials on Sunday. The malaria toll this monsoon has reached 61, with most of the deaths occurring in the July-August period.
    Also, in the first 22 days of August, 3,423 cases of malaria were registered across the city. "Until three years ago, we would start panicking the moment the monthly surveillance figure crossed 2,000,'' said a civic official.
    The private sector, too, has been seeing a steady stream of malaria cases. "This year, the malaria outbreak is definitely the worst I have seen in my entire career,'' said Dr K Bhajan from Hinduja Hospital in Mahim. "Eight out of 10 patients getting admitted this season have malaria,'' he said, adding that on a single day last week, he admitted six seriously ill patients who were later diagnosed with malaria.
    "There have been one or two deaths every day because of malaria,'' said Dr Neera Kewalramani, who heads the BMC's epidemiological cell.
    According to Dr K Harboli, who is in charge of malaria surveillance in Mumbai, "Of the 3,423 cases in August so far, 2,823 cases are of vivax malaria, 505 of falciparum and 95 cases of mixed malaria.'' Asked if this was the highest figure for malaria in the city so far, he said, "It seems so, but we will have to check the corresponding figures for last August before drawing such a conclusion.'' The figures were not available on Sunday.
    But the BMC's daily figures on Sunday reported that 105 patients had been admitted with malaria in a 24-hour period.
    There also is the worrisome emergence of cases of mixed malaria.
    "While patients with vivax malaria who come to public hospitals get radical treatment—that is a dose of primaquine for 15 days—this is not done in the private sector. Hence, many patients of vivax malaria get a relapse. If in this time they get another infection, like falciparum, it could be worse,'' explained Dr Kewalramani.
    Why is the incidence of malaria so high? Doctors blame the construction boom and growing pollution for it. According to Dr J Thanekar, who is the executive health officer of the BMC, "We carried out an analysis of the malarial deaths this monsoon and found that most deaths had occurred in the vicinity of construction sites.''
    Civic officials say that it is difficult to carry out antilarval operations in and around construction sites. "It is not humanly possible for pest control officers to trudge up 30 storeys to locate a puddle and pour anti-larval oil. At times, the builders don't give them access to such sites,'' said an official from the insecticide department.

Ogden Nash  - "The trouble with a kitten is that when it grows up, it's always a cat."