Mumbai sees spike in dengue, malaria, leptospirosis in August

Mumbai has recorded a sharp rise in vector-borne diseases in the first half of August. Malaria cases increased from 1,380 in all of July to 1,797, dengue from 466 to 613, and leptospirosis from 78 to 111, according to civic data.

The Times of India reports that most malaria cases are concentrated in wards such as E Ward (Byculla, Madanpura, Mazgaon), K-West Ward (Andheri, Nehru Nagar, Amboli), G-South Ward (BDD Chawl, Sasmira), F-South Ward (Parel, Bhoiwada, Sewri), and H-West Ward (Hill Road, Turner Road, Perry Cross Road). Many mosquito breeding sites are found around construction sites.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has launched the ‘Aarogya Sathi’ initiative to address the issue. Dr Daksha Shah, executive health officer, said the programme aims to train 20,000 to 30,000 construction workers in preventing mosquito breeding and recognising symptoms of monsoon illnesses. The campaign has so far covered 4,075 sites with five to 10 workers each.