India : City hit by sudden spike in malaria

An article from Deccan Chronicle :

" Nov. 28: While the monsoon might have let up a bit, pockets of the city are witnessing a spike in cases of malaria. Despite the corporation’s efforts to fog out the pesky insects, the city accounts for nearly 75 per cent per cent of all malaria cases in the state.

Experts are also seeing a worrying and distinct shift in the species of the parasite, from the common Plasmodium vivax, to the most virulent kind, Plasmodium falciparum. “While most malaria cases were caused due to Plasmodium vivax, the parasite that is carried by the female anopheles mosquito, the epidemiological trend is leaning towards Plasmodium falciparum, a species that was common in North East India, but is increasingly seen in Tamil Nadu now,” explains S. Elango, national vice-president of Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) and former Tamil Nadu DPH, pointing out that the inflow of migrant labourers from UP, Bihar and the North East may be a possible reason for the trend.

This type of malaria, if detected late, leads to cerebral fever, convulsions and ultimately in a coma, and death, he explains."