Mangaluru: Mangaluru city recorded 255 malaria cases, whereas rural areas had only 11 cases in five months. Between January and May, the district’s Belthangady taluk has not recorded a single case of Malaria, according to Dr. Naveenchandra Kulal, the district’s vector-borne diseases control program officer.
Ten years ago, the district reported nearly 16,000 cases of malaria in a single year. However, the number of cases recorded significantly reduced in 2020, with only 1,397 cases reported. Dr Kulal said at a workshop organised by the Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat and the health and family welfare department at the Pathrika Bhavan here on Tuesday that although the district had 4,741 malaria cases in 2017, the number had dropped to 3,871 in 2018 and 2,797 in 2019.
“Dakshina Kannada district reported more than 80% of the state’s malaria cases in 2019. The coastal district’s temperature and weather are suitable for mosquito breeding. In addition, the city of Mangaluru has about 14,000 open wells, which are a major source of mosquito breeding,” he added.
Only 2,000 open wells are used, according to a survey, with the rest abandoned. “Even in used wells, mosquito breeding is a possibility because the water remains stagnant and unprotected. When individuals draw water from open wells manually using vessels and rope, the chances of mosquito breeding are relatively low. The water in the well will not shake with submersible pumps, and it will become a mosquito breeding ground,” he warned.
According to Taluk health officer Dr Sujay Bhandary, most apartments in the city, contain mosquito breeding areas as well.
” Stagnant water on the terraces contributes to mosquito breeding,” he added.
