Is Mumbai state’s malaria capital?

Pune: Malaria claimed 152 lives in Maharashtra in 2009 as against 61 recorded in 2004. Incidentally, Mumbai accounted for 125 deaths last year as against 23 deaths recorded in 2004—a five-fold increase in six years. And, most importantly, the Plasmodium vivax strain of malaria, which till recently was not considered life-threatening, and had registered no deaths till December 2006, claimed nine lives last year. All the nine victims were from Mumbai. 

    A report presenting these facts, prepared by the directorate of state health services, will be presented at a review meeting to be conducted under the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme in New Delhi on January 14. 
    "There has been a perceptible rise in malaria deaths in Mumbai in the last five years," Pandit Chavan, joint director of the state health services, said on Tuesday. "Special staff has been deployed in Mumbai to check the breeding sites of mosquitoes," he said. A total of 85,435 malaria cases were recorded in the state in 2009 of which 39,659 cases were recorded in Mumbai, added Chavan. 
"It is true that we didn't notice deaths due to the Plasmodium vivax strain of malaria in the state till December 2006. The possibility of this strain becoming deadlier cannot be ruled out. KEM doctors have initiated a study on it," said Ashok Bhosale, state entomologist and state project director of the National Vector-Borne Control Programme (NVBCP). Earlier, the mild malarial strain had claimed four lives, two each in 2007 and 2008. All four deaths were reported in Mumbai, added Bhosale. 
    Elaborating on the reasons for the spurt of cases in Mumbai, Bhosale said, "The rise in malaria cases in Mumbai is mainly due to the large number of construction projects being undertaken in the metropolis. Besides, the high humidity levels also contribute to the number of cases."