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Mumbai recorded an increase in malaria, chikungunya and hepatitis cases between January-August 2025 as compared to the same period of the previous year, the city civic body said on Monday. However, a decline was noticed in cases of dengue, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis during the period under review, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in its report - Monsoon-Related Diseases. The financial capital reported 4,825 cases of malaria during January-August (till August 14), up from 4,021 in the same period of the previous year. Also, 328 cases of chikungunya (210 last year) and 703 of hepatitis (662) were logged in the first eight months of the calendar year, said the report. The city registered 1,564 cases of dengue during the first eight months of 2025 (till August 14), down from 1,979 in the same period of last year. Also, 316 cases of leptospirosis (553 last year) and 5,510 of gastroenteritis (6,133) were recorded during the same period, indicating a downward ...
Malaria season begins this month in a large part of Africa. No disease is deadlier on the continent, especially for children. But the Trump administration's decision to terminate 90 per cent of USAID's foreign aid contracts has local health officials warning of catastrophe in some of the world's poorest communities. Dr. Jimmy Opigo, who runs Uganda's malaria control programme, told The Associated Press that USAID stop-work orders issued in late January left him and others focusing on disaster preparedness. The US is the top bilateral funder of anti-malaria efforts in Africa. Anti-malarial medicines and insecticide-treated bed nets to help control the mosquito-borne disease are like our groceries, Opigo said. There's got to be continuous supply. As those dwindle with the US-terminated contracts, he expects a rise in cases later this year of severe malaria, which includes problems like organ failure. There is no cure. Vaccines being rolled out in parts of Africa are imperfect but are
India has significantly reduced its malaria incidence and mortality and exited the High Burden High Impact (HBHI) group of endemic countries officially in 2024, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) World Malaria Report released on Wednesday. The malaria caseload in India was slashed by 69 per cent from 6.4 million (64 lakh) in 2017 to two million (20 lakh) in 2023. Similarly, the estimated malaria deaths decreased from 11,100 to 3,500 (a 68-per cent decrease) in the same period. The WHO South-East Asia Region had eight malaria endemic countries in 2023, accounting for 40 lakh cases and contributing 1.5 per cent to the burden of malaria cases globally. In 2023, India accounted for a half of all estimated malaria cases in the region, followed by Indonesia, which accounted for just under one third. The estimated malaria deaths in the region fell by 82.9 per cent, from 35,000 in 2000 to 6,000 in 2023. India and Indonesia together accounted for about 88 per cent of malari
A new malaria vaccine appears to be "safe and highly immunogenic", with "promising efficacy", according to interim results of the phase 2b clinical trial conducted in African children. The vaccine candidate, named 'RH5.1/Matrix-M', is a blood-stage type, targeting the malaria-causing parasite when it is present in the blood -- the stage of the parasite's life cycle when symptoms begin to show in the affected person. The trial results were published in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" journal. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, spread to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms usually appear in the 10-15 days following the bite, with mild symptoms being fever, chills and headache, while the severe ones can include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty in breathing. Researchers, including those at Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant, Burkina Faso, and the University of Oxford, UK, enrolled 361 children in the African country,
The national capital has reported a huge jump in malaria cases this year so far, with infections jumping nearly 55 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year. The city has, however, not recorded any malaria-related deaths so far, according to official data. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) data for the period from January 1 to October 5, this year marks the highest number of malaria cases in the corresponding period in last five years with 511 confirmed infections. A total of 329 cases were reported during the same period in 2023, 153 in 2022, 127 in 2021, and 189 in 2020. While there have been no deaths attributed to malaria in Delhi this year, this contrasts with previous years when one fatality was reported each in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The data also highlights that the highest caseload was recorded in September every year since 2020; this year, there were 193 cases in September, compared to 106 reported in August. In the current month, up to the
Mumbai has recorded a "slight increase" in malaria and H1N1 (flu) cases in July 2024 at 797 and 161, respectively, as compared to the same month last year, the city civic body said on Wednesday. In its report on "Monsoon-related diseases", the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said as compared to July 2023, the data for July 2024 showed a decline in cases of dengue, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis, but a slight uptick in malaria and H1N1 (flu) infections in the financial capital. Mumbai reported 797 cases of malaria and 161 of H1N1 in July 2024, up from 721 and 106, respectively, in the same month last year, according to the report. Cases of dengue, leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis and chikungunya dropped to 535, 141, 1239, 146 and 25 in July 2024 from 685, 413, 1767, 144 and 27 in July 2023, respectively, it said. The BMC said it covered nearly 11.95 lakh households and about 55.80 lakh population during its house-to-house fever survey in July 2024 and gave ...
More than 5,000 cases of dengue had been reported in Delhi till mid-September this year, according to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC). The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has not shared any recent data on vector-borne diseases in the national capital. The MCD's last weekly report on vector-borne diseases was released in the first week of August. MCD sources said on Thursday that nearly 5,000 cases of dengue have been recorded in the city so far this year. According to data on the official website of the NCVBDC, which comes under the Union health ministry, 5,221 cases of dengue and one death due to the disease had been recorded in Delhi till mid-September this year. Mayor Shelly Oberoi held a review meeting on vector-borne diseases with the Public Health Department officials of the MCD at the Civic Centre on Thursday, her office said in a statement. During the meeting, officials informed Oberoi that all necessary steps are being taken on a "war .
The World Health Organization has authorised a second malaria vaccine, a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and more readily available option than the world's first shot against the parasitic disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was approving the new malaria vaccine based on the advice of two expert groups, recommending its use in children at risk of the disease. As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two, Tedros said. Oxford University developed the new three-dose vaccine with help from the Serum Institute of India. Research suggests it is more than 75 per cent effective and that protection is maintained for at least another year with a booster. Tedros said the shot would cost about USD 2 to USD 4 and could be available in some countries next year if funders agree to buy it. Earlier this year, regulatory authorities in Ghana and Burkina Faso