MUMBAI: The city has recorded a significant surge in vector-borne diseases this year, with malaria, dengue, and chikungunya cases rising between January and July 2025, according to the BMC’s latest monsoon report released on Friday.
Malaria cases nearly doubled, with 4,151 cases reported in the first seven months of 2025, compared to 2,852 cases during the same period last year.
Dengue infections also saw an uptick, rising to 1,160 cases this year from 966 in 2024. Notably, 426 dengue cases were reported just between July 14 and the end of the month.
Chikungunya recorded a fivefold increase, jumping from 46 cases in 2024 to 265 this year. Of these, 86 cases were reported after July 14 alone.
“The worrying part is that malaria is starting to present differently. The joint pain patients experience is so severe that it really impacts their productivity and daily life. While dengue and malaria patients often require hospitalisation, chikungunya is mostly treated on an OPD basis. Thankfully, mortality among pregnant women has been quite low this time,” said Dr Abizer Manked, Consultant Physician, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai.
While cases of leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, and COVID-19 showed a marginal decline, hepatitis A and E saw a spike, with 613 cases reported from January to July 2025.
“The early onset of monsoon in May this year created a favourable environment for vector-borne diseases, leading to a noticeable rise in cases of malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and hepatitis. In contrast, a decline was noted in leptospirosis and gastroenteritis cases,” the BMC report stated.
The BMC has now issued advisories, recommending cleaning of stagnant water pools in and around homes, avoiding clutter anywhere, using mosquito nets, drinking boiled water and avoiding street food. It has also warned citizens not to ignore fevers. It has also increased surveillance, owing to the increase in the number of vector-borne diseases, said an official.
The corporation recently relaunched its ‘Aapli Chikitsa Yojana’, providing common blood tests, urine analysis, and several diagnostic tests at nominal costs and providing the test results to the patients via WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, doctors stated that the rise in cases was primarily due to severe waterlogging that occurred during the early days of the monsoon, followed by patchy rainfall. Along with this, an increased awareness amongst the public has led to a greater number of diagnostic tests being conducted in the city. “There have not been many hospitalisations, and we have not seen extremely low platelet counts, but that would be a matter of concern. Thankfully, things have not escalated,” Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician at Bombay hospital. “The number of cases is a result of increased awareness and investigations as well.”