In the last 45 days, the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has witnessed 148 dengue and 79 malaria cases. Earlier this month, a 17-year-old girl succumbed to dengue in the Kamothe node. Officials said that despite their best efforts they receive complaints throughout the year.
To create awareness and ascertain the reason behind the continuing menace, the PMC held a meeting with senior civic officials from the health department, experts, doctors, and citizens on Thursday.
During the meeting, chief medical officer Dr Anand Gosavi said that 521 cases of dengue and 195 cases of malaria were found in the PMC area from January to September. Moreover, 37,873 suspected malaria patients and 3,180 dengue patients were tested in the municipal area in this period.
In the last two months, or the monsoon season when water accumulation is higher and chances of dengue and malaria are high, the civic body saw a sharp rise in cases. In August, the highest number of dengue cases (126), and malaria cases (42) were reported. This month so far, 22 cases of dengue and 37 cases of malaria have been detected. This year, three persons have died due to dengue, informed Dr Gosavi.
New Panvel emerges as the hot spot
In a survey conducted recently, New Panvel emerged as the hot spot with the highest number of dengue patients and mosquito breeding spots. The other hotspots are Kharghar, Kamothe, and Kalamboli. To raise awareness about simple measures that citizens can take, the civic body has distributed two lakh leaflets and stuck 75,000 stickers in housing societies. It has also issued notices to 4,980 to builders, tyre sellers and nurseries to conduct pest control.
