Udupi: About 190 cases of Malaria have been detected in Udupi district in June and of these 90 per cent of the patients are migrant workers, said Dr HS Ashok, Udupi District Malaria Control Officer.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘Malaria as an epidemic’ at Ambalpady on behalf of the  Ambalpady Temple and Archana Charitable Trust here on June 28, Thursday, he said  this revealed the unhygienic conitions prevailing at construction sites were these workers reside.

He also said as a preventive measure the department has begun collecting blood samples of labourers as well as people residing close by construction sites, and have sent them for examination.

He also pointed out that the number of malaria cases in cities have seen a rise rather than in rural areas.

The seminar was earlier inaugurated by NB Vijaya Ballal, Managing Trustee of Ambalpady Sri Janardhana Mahakali Temple.

Gokuldas Nayak, Udupi CMC Commissioner, Dr. Satish Kamath, President of IMA Karavali Branch Kiran Manjanbail, President of Udupi District Working Journalists’ Association and others were present.