Breather for Mumbai as city sees a decline in Malaria, other monsoon-related diseases last month

BMC officials said, “Between August and September 2025, cases of malaria and chikungunya declined, consistent with trends observed last year.” Residents are advised to remove stagnant water, maintain hygiene, and seek prompt medical attention for any fever symptoms to prevent infections during the monsoon.

Written by Naresh S

New Delhi | October 1, 2025 11:05 PM IST

2 min read

Monsoon related diseases like malaria have declined this year (Credit: pexels.com)

In a major relief to city dwellers, Mumbai has witnessed a notable shift in monsoon-related disease trends in September this year. While malaria and chikungunya cases declined in August, dengue and several waterborne illnesses also showed a dip, states the data released by the epidemic cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

As per the data, Malaria cases fell from 1,553 in August to 1,411 in September, continuing a downward trend observed last year and even Chikungunya cases dropped from 220 to 139 during the same period. While Dengue cases saw a slight uptick from 1,159 to 1,384, but remained below last year’s figures, Gastroenteritis cases declined from 592 to 442 and hepatitis cases decreased from 197 to 176. Covid-19 cases continued their downward trajectory, with eight reported in September compared to 17 in August.

The BMC attributed the trends to extensive preventive measures, including house-to-house fever surveys covering over 10.3 lakh homes and 49.5 lakh residents in September. It said that health teams collected approximately 1.86 lakh blood slides for contact tracing and vector control efforts inspected more than 57,500 breeding sources for malaria and over 23,700 for dengue, removing over 61,000 discarded articles and tyres.

“Mumbai’s rains bring a surge of illnesses due to flooding, humidity and overcrowding. Leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, dengue, fungal infections and asthma flare-ups are common. Prevention is key—safe water, fresh food, mosquito control, and dry, ventilated spaces. Any fever with severe pain, vomiting or breathlessness needs urgent attention. Timely precautions can save lives,” said Dr Amit Saraf, Director of Internal Medicine, Jupiter Hospital, Thane.

According to the BMC report, Prophylactic medication for leptospirosis was distributed to nearly 60,000 residents. Additional interventions included 63 health camps, 5,341 workplace visits and fogging of 42,339 buildings and 6.68 lakh huts. Cleanliness drives were also conducted in BMC hospitals and maternity homes, while awareness campaigns featured IEC posters and jingles during Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri festivities.

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