Now Reading: Malaria kills 2 in Mumbai, breaks 3-year zero death record
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Malaria kills 2 in Mumbai, breaks 3-year zero death record
Mumbai has recorded two malaria deaths this monsoon, with cases rising to 9,298 so far this year. The 2026 tally is already 91.5% of the 10,163 cases reported through all of 2025,…
Mumbai has recorded two malaria deaths this monsoon, with cases rising to 9,298 so far this year. The 2026 tally is already 91.5% of the 10,163 cases reported through all of 2025, according to state health department data. The two fatalities come after three consecutive years without a death.
According to the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control, malaria cases in Mumbai have doubled since 2022, when the city recorded 3,985 infections, climbing to 10,163 in 2025. Activists and corporators have linked the rise to the city's massive infrastructure push, pointing to stagnant water at construction sites and poor drainage as potential breeding grounds. Civic officials attributed the rise partly to better surveillance.
Doctors flagged that malaria appears to be behaving differently this year, with patients experiencing prolonged fever for up to five days. BMC health committee chairman Harish Bhandgire said cases were concentrated in pockets such as Dongri, Sion and Parel, and ruled out a citywide outbreak. Former Congress corporator Sheetal Mhatre questioned the civic body's focus on major infrastructure projects amid the rise in mosquito-borne diseases.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mumbai recorded 23 malaria deaths in 2004, the worst year since records began. The current caseload, while rising sharply, remains below that peak. The BMC spends roughly Rs 3,000 crore annually on public health, but the allocation for vector control is a fraction of that. The city's infrastructure push includes the Rs 55,000-crore Coastal Road and multiple metro lines, projects that have faced repeated delays and complaints about waterlogging. The key number to watch is whether the case count crosses the 10,163 mark of 2025, and whether the death toll rises beyond two. The state health department's weekly surveillance report, due every Monday, will show the trend.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
