Navi Mumbai: In a major public health initiative, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has intensified its efforts to curb mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue by organizing a series of public awareness and prevention camps.
A total of 286 camps were conducted across the NMMC jurisdiction, drawing the participation of 1,12,887 citizens, with 6,666 blood samples collected for testing.
On July 10, the latest round of camps saw 11,312 residents attend, where they were given practical demonstrations of mosquito larvae and shown how breeding typically occurs in stagnant clean water in and around households.
These camps are part of NMMC’s ongoing preventive campaign aimed at encouraging citizen awareness and proactive participation in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds.
According to official data from January 1 to July 6, a total of 87,789 blood samples were collected in the NMMC area. Of these, 18 cases of malaria and 2 confirmed dengue cases were reported. An additional 194 suspected dengue samples were identified, and 78 samples were sent to NIV Pune and Civil Hospital for confirmation.
The camps were held on multiple dates, including April 25, May 16, May 22, May 30, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26, July 2, July 3, and July 10, with each camp averaging participation from 11,000–12,000 citizens, a statement released by the health department of NMMC, said. Blood sample collection was conducted in parallel, with the highest number (884) collected on May 16.
NMMC Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde has appealed to citizens to maintain personal and community hygiene, stressing that “cleanliness and health go hand in hand.” He emphasized that active participation from the public is essential to control the spread of vector-borne diseases.
“Let’s eliminate mosquito breeding sites in our homes, and defeat malaria and dengue together,” the civic body urged as part of its campaign slogan.
