The Indian city of Mumbai is facing a possible malaria outbreak, with reported cases totaling some 4,000 in August alone.
City officials have already sought the assistance of experts from international health charity Medecins Sans Frontieres to contain the potential outbreak, according to Agence France-Presse. MSF teams have provided 3,700 treatment kits and 100,000 diagnostic kits to the city. The teams are also planning to train local health workers on how to properly diagnose and treat the disease.
The number of malaria cases in Mumbai rose sharply at the start of the rainy season in July. At least 14,700 cases were recorded for the first six months of 2010. This is nearly as many as the reported cases for the entire year in 2009, AFP says.
