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Urban malaria in India
What do you think that will be the future trend with Malaria in the Indian cities, with the increase of urbanization?
82 months ago
2 answers
Thoughts with respect to urbanization and malaria in India:
- Increased urbanization means increased construction in an already primarily waterlogged country with unsustainable building standards. Leading to stagnant water; breeding ground for malaria carrying mosquitos.
- Urbanization strains already fragile infrastructure leading to decreased hygiene at all levels.
- Measures like fogging on a mass level by municipalities is no longer efficient due to bug resistance.
- Plants like citronella and lemongrass are scarce in non-green urban settings and provide limited relief. If done effectively, they may be the way forward.
- Need to move beyond malaria to dengue and other illnesses.
- For more technical research see: WHO, PLOS, ISMOCD, NVBDCP
82 months ago
Increased urbanization in India will increase the Malaria burden as well. It will provide increased breeding sites, more standing water, more construction into areas of increased prevalence, an increased surveillance and intervention burden and it will significantly decrease the effectiveness of mosquito eradication programs. Malaria and other mosquito borne infectious diseases will increase with the trend to mass movements of the population to urban setting with the poor and vulnerable at the highest risk.
India will have to increase and mainstream measures against Malaria and other vector borne diseases. Mitigation will require significant planning, effective communications, increased access to rapid diagnostic testing and significant investment as urbanization continues to increase.
82 months ago
