Maharashtra: Chikungunya Infections Climb By 40%; Dengue, Malaria Under Control

Maharashtra is seeing a sharp rise in chikungunya cases before the arrival of the monsoon. So far, no deaths have been reported from chikungunya, malaria, dengue, Zika, or Japanese encephalitis. 

This is an improvement over the same time in 2024 when four people had died due to malaria. Here are the numbers of cases for the three diseases:

Chikungunya spreads through Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito bites. As per reports, early detection and treatment have helped avoid deaths. Still, some areas continue to face outbreaks. 

Maharashtra has made strong progress in controlling malaria. In 2015, there were 56,603 malaria cases. In 2024, the number had fallen to 21,078. This is a 62.7% drop. From 2015 to 2022, the Annual Parasite Incidence (API) also went down from 0.47 to 0.1.

Officials credit this progress to the following steps: 

1. Malaria was made a notifiable disease in December 2021.

2. Reporting of cases in private and public clinics was improved. 

3. Quick testing was increased. 

4. Community health workers were sent to detect fever cases early.

5. A Communicable Diseases Prevention & Control Committee was set up in August 2024. 

6. A special malaria task force was also restructured in March 2025 for Gadchiroli.

7. The state had also passed a resolution in October 2024 called Fast Action Against Chikungunya and Dengue in Cities.

8. There are 89 sentinel sites in the state, which help track disease trends quickly. 

Vector control work is ongoing in 15 cities and 801 villages. Measures include larvicides, spraying indoors, and using Gambusia fish to eat mosquito larvae. In 2024, over 212,000 insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed in Gadchiroli. Across the state, nearly 4.95 lakh nets were given out.

Most malaria cases in rural areas come from Gadchiroli district. In cities, Greater Mumbai reports the highest number of cases. As per reports, a senior health official said that zero deaths is a good sign, but the real challenge will come in the next two months.