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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

India : City sees unexpected spurt in malaria cases

Via Hindustan Times :

" MUMBAI : Malaria has claimed three lives in the city this month and more that 1,250 people have tested positive for the disease.

Doctors are surprised at the rise in the number of malaria cases, as they usually plummet in summer.

In April, at least 3,122 Mumbaiites tested positive and two people died of the disease. This is more than double the number of cases in April 2009, which saw 1,351 people diagnosed with malaria. In April 2008, only 790 people contracted the disease.

Transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes, a spurt in malaria is normal during the monsoon and post-monsoon period as mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.

“When temperature crosses 40 deg C, it slows mosquito breeding.

But the temperature in Mumbai is lower than that and the humidity level is high, so mosquitoes are continuing to breed,” said Dr Ashok Bhosale, state project director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme."

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