NEW DELHI: Health Minister Yoganand Shastri on Tuesday announced that Asha health workers would be roped in to help in the Delhi Government's drive against malaria and dengue. Reviewing the vector-borne diseases situation with senior officials, he underlined the need to make people aware of the dangers of mosquito breeding in houses. This week one case of malaria and 34 cases of cholera have been reported.

A study by the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) on the genetic characteristics of the inhabitants of India's Northeast

"Assam, till June this year, has recorded only 64 deaths caused by malaria, which is the lowest in the last one decade. Of the 64 deaths, 34 have been reported from Karbi Anglong. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma disclosed this before mediapersons today, asserting that the State would soon manage to bring the figure further down. While the total number of malaria deaths in 2006 was 304, in 2007 the same dropped to 152, Sarma said adding that the Kamrup district registered just one death till this point of time.

WHILE the Mumbai civic administration is dealing with an increase in cases of rain-related ailments this monsoon, the state health administration has had to tackle fewer instances of disease outbreaks so far. Since April, there have been only 15 deaths in the other parts of the state due to water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Nine of these deaths are due to water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, and six due to vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.

policymakers in India swear by the insecticide ddt to contain sand fly, the kala-azar vector. There are alternatives to using chemicals, a group of researchers has found by studying 50 villages in five kala-azar endemic districts in Bihar. The disease is most prevalent in the state. Critics say the study is not foolproof. Various theories exist on sand fly

NEW DELHI: With the death of a woman at Chandan Vihar in Burari here on Thursday, Delhi has recorded its first suspected dengue death this season. However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Medical Health Officer, Dr. N. K. Yadav, said the woman did not test positive for dengue. "Thirty-eight-year-old Ritu was admitted to a local hospital with symptoms of dengue and was later referred to Tirath Ram Hospital where she died on Thursday." MCD criticised

Concerted effort is needed to fight chikungunya.

Bangalore: Chikungunya cases continued to admitted at both KC General Hospital and Sriramapura Referral Hospital in Bangalore on Thursday with 33 fresh suspected cases reported in both hospitals. While statewide 21,805 suspected cases of chikungunya have been reported, Health Minister B Sriramulu said that he received reports of suspected cases of dengue in three districts.