Mosquito menace looms large with nearly 50,000 people testing positive for malaria across the country in just one month and over fifty per cent of the cases reported from Orissa and Jharkhand alone.
According to the Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), the central nodal agency for the prevention and control of vector borne diseases, 46,617 confirmed cases of malaria have been reported across the country in the month of January only.
While 10,602 malaria cases have been reported from Jharkhand, 14,539 from Orissa, 6,957 from Chhatisgarh, 3,922 from Maharashtra and 1,160 from West Bengal.
In the year 2011, a total of 12,78,760 confirmed cases of malaria were reported in the country of which the highest was reported from Orissa (2,94,759) and Jharkhand (1,52,061).
A total of 62,51,162 blood slides have been sent to the labrotaries for testing of malaria fever till now. As per the NVBDCP, two deaths due to malaria, both from Jharkhand have been reported till now.
Meanwhile, according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi though only four cases have been reported till now in the city, this is more than what was reported last year.
"Last year till March 10 only one case of malaria was reported and this year its four by now," an MCD official said.