BMC reports rise in malaria, dengue and chikungunya cases in August
In August, the BMC conducted house-to-house fever surveys covering over 10.6 lakh houses and 50.2 lakh individuals.
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Between July and August, malaria cases rose from 4,151 to 5,706, while dengue cases increased from 1,160 to 2,319. (Credit: Unsplash)The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reported a significant increase in cases of malaria, dengue and chikungunya last month, continuing the typical monsoon peak trend.
Between July and August, malaria cases rose from 4,151 to 5,706, while dengue cases increased from 1,160 to 2,319. Chikungunya cases more than doubled from 265 to 485. Leptospirosis cases also rose from 244 to 471. In contrast, gastroenteritis cases saw a slight increase from 5,182 to 5,774, Hepatitis cases grew from 613 to 810, and Covid-19 cases decreased marginally from 1,094 to 1,111.
Year-to-date data from January to August show malaria cases at 5,706 compared to 4,021 in the same period in 2024. Dengue cases increased to 2,319 from 1,979, and chikungunya cases doubled from 210 to 485. Leptospirosis cases declined from 553 to 471, gastroenteritis dropped from 6,133 to 5,774, and hepatitis rose from 662 to 810. Covid-19 cases decreased from 1,775 to 1,111 over the same period.
In August, the BMC conducted house-to-house fever surveys covering over 10.6 lakh houses and 50.2 lakh individuals. A total of 1,84,602 blood samples were collected for contact-tracing. Vector control measures included inspection of 57,672 breeding sources, revealing 3,998 Anopheles and 21,658 Aedes mosquito breeding sites. The corporation removed 65,385 odd articles and tyres and fogged 42,770 building premises and 6,39,431 huts.
“The sharp rise in malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and other seasonal infections during August is not unexpected, but the scale of increase this year is a reminder of how vulnerable urban populations remain during the monsoon. The BMC’s extensive surveillance efforts are commendable, but prevention begins at home. People should eliminate stagnant water, use mosquito repellents and nets, and maintain strict hygiene with food and water. Early medical consultation is important, especially for vulnerable groups,” said Dr Honey Savla, Consultant Internal Medicine at Wockhardt Hospitals.
Public awareness efforts included sessions in 3,284 housing societies and 264 schools, alongside training of 3,683 private medical practitioners. The ‘Zero Mosquito Breeding Campaign’ covered 545 buildings across Mumbai.
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