India, Oct. 15 -- Doctors across the board, from big private hospitals to clinics in Dharavi, are reporting a large number of malaria cases this year. Dr Deepesh Agrawal, consultant physician and head of critical care medicine at Saifee Hospital, said that additionally, the cases were more severe, with at least two to three critical patients being admitted daily to his hospital's ICU.

"Earlier, only cases of falciparum malaria were dangerous but this year we are seeing even cases of vivax malaria turning critical and accompanied by problems in the kidneys, liver and other organs," he said. "While the rise in malaria cases could be attributed to the huge number of construction sites in the city, one of the key concerns is the delay in dia...