Indian Express 11.12.2009
10 per cent increase in malaria cases over last year: civic body
There has been a ten per cent rise in malaria cases this year compared to last year, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The civic body had started an intensive screening drive for malaria a month ago. Of the 99,503 blood samples collected, 5,563 tested positive for malaria. The civic body has also identified 134 new high-risk areas.
In a bid to curb the malaria menace the BMC has employed health workers in a door to door extended immunisation drive to trace people, especially in slums, with flu and flu-like symptoms and administer Chloroquine (anti-malarial tablet) if needed. The civic body had earlier stationed vans at vulnerable spots to screen people for malaria.
The idea is to scan slums and slum-like areas for malaria. We are not concentrating on high rises as they have an option of going to general practitioners. The number of blood smears collected has increased from 80,000 in the month of October to 99503,” said Dr Dr K Harboli, who heads BMC’s malaria surveillance programme.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar had earlier said, “As many as 73 per cent of the deaths this year have been due to delayed treatment. Our surveillance unit will accompany health workers.
