New Delhi: More than seven lakh Malaria cases have been reported this year in the country exceeding all other vector borne diseases while maximum deaths have been due to Japanese Encephalitis, according to a report.
According to a data provided by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, the central nodal agency for the prevention and control of vector borne diseases in India, a total of 7,45,599 cases have been reported from different hospitals across the country this year alone.
This is followed by 14,820 cases of Chikungunya, 14,047 dengue cases and 7,137 people have tested positive for Japanese Encephalitis this year till now. However, this year maximum deaths have been reported due to Japanese Encephalitis
The data showed that 1,064 deaths due to JE virus have been reported till now.
This is followed by 233 deaths due to malaria and 93 due to dengue till now.
No deaths due to chikungunya have bee reported yet. While Odisha tops the chart in Malaria cases with over two lakh reported this year alone, Uttar Pradesh with 3,363 cases reported the maximum number of JE fever cases.
Of the total 14,820 chikungunya cases reported from different parts of the country, West Bengal have reported the highest number of chikungunya cases with 3,297 blood samples testing positive for the virus here and Punjab topped the chart in reporting Dengue cases with 3,475 cases reported till now.
Malaria, is caused by the infective bite of Anopheles mosquito while dengue and chikungunya are transmitted by Aedes Aegypti mosquito and Japanese Encephalitis is spread by female mosquitoes mainly belonging to Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Culex vishnui and Culex pseudovishnui group. (PTI)