Every year on April 25, World Malaria Day is observed to raise awareness and encourage efforts to combat the disease. Meanwhile, the health department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has organised a week-long awareness programme and activities in the city as part of its Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities at crowded public places, including the railway station, state transport bus stands, and others.
Healthcare workers and PMC staff conducted public awareness campaigns about the disease. Citizens were provided with information, and stickers were pasted at various places.
According to PMC data, in the past four months, around 109 notices have been sent for not abiding by the rules set by the PMC for areas found to be breeding spots. As per the data from the Health Department of Maharashtra, around 19,303 cases were registered in the year 2021, 15,451 cases in 2022, 16,159 cases in 2023, and 2,650 cases in 2024 till April 24.
“This year, cases of Malaria are increasing, and to curb it, we are conducting awareness programmes. Besides fogging, we also ensure that people are aware, and IEC activities help us to curb the spread. This year, we have started early to spread awareness so that during the peak monsoon, citizens can take the precautionary measures,” said Dr Suryakant Deokar, assistant medical officer of health, PMC.
City-based doctor Devashish Desai added, "The cases of malaria are not significant in Pune city, but in rural areas, the cases are higher. In the city, we mostly get cases of dengue but not malaria. However, precautionary measures are always the best."
