Civic body records nearly 700 malaria cases in JAN

Mumbai:The H1N1 virus may be back in circulation but it is actually malaria and dengue that is plaguing Mumbaikars.      According to BMC data, 693 people contracted malaria and 94 were treated for dengue in January. None of the vector-borne ailments claimed any lives.      Physicians said it is common to treat at least a couple of malaria cases on a daily basis during this time of the year. But dengue cases should not be rampant now. A senior physician from KEM Hospital said the severity of dengue cases as compared to last year had come down. "Dengue cases that we are treating now are quite common and less complicated. But we are getting more cases than we usually get at this time of the year," said the physician. Last year, dengue cases had witnessed a 100% increase as compared to 2011. At the national level too, dengue cases have increased by 163% while deaths have gone up by 47%. However, BMC officials claimed dengue should not be a cause for worry. "The graph is actually coming down now after the drive we had undertaken last year. From an average of 200 cases per month, it has come down below 100," said an official. Dr Kushrav Bhajan, chief intensivist of Hinduja hospital, said there has been a steady flow of malaria cases."Overall too, there has been a 79% decrease in cases and 69% in deaths," said the official.