The CDC names Mumbai in its malaria advice. The monsoon is the worst season.

Yes, and in Mumbai they're more than an itch. The CDC names the city in its malaria area for India and recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria, and the monsoon, roughly June to September, is when mosquitoes and case counts climb. Our India briefing covers the rest of the country.

The malaria advice names Mumbai

The CDC's India page places malaria transmission "Throughout the country, including the cities of Bombay (Mumbai) and New Delhi (the capital)," with none above 2,000 m (6,500 ft). Mumbai, Elephanta Island and Lonavala all sit far below that line.

Malaria cases more than doubled from June to July 2026, and the city's health department reported more than 4,000 malaria cases from June to August, about a fifth more than in the same months of 2025, according to press reports. Dengue and chikungunya ran lower than in 2025 over those months, the same reports said. Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, and the Aedes that spread dengue and chikungunya bite by day around homes, building sites and stored water, so repellent goes on in the morning and again before sunset.

Going home to see family

The CDC's advice for travelers visiting friends or relatives, which it shortens to VFR, speaks to anyone who grew up in a country with malaria. "Many VFR travelers assume they are immune to malaria if they were born or lived a long time in a country with malaria, but immunity can decrease after a person moves away. In some instances, VFR travelers have died of malaria after they returned to the United States." It also says not to wait until you arrive to buy pills, since they must be started before you leave, and that "Counterfeit drugs are common in some countries, so only take medicine that you bring from home."

The CDC also notes that family visits usually last longer and involve more time in the local community, which raises the risk. A relative's home may not have a hotel's air-conditioning or screens, so pack a bed net and permethrin-treated clothes. For a month or more, ask the clinic about Japanese encephalitis vaccine, and for six months or more, about chikungunya vaccine.

The monsoon months

Mosquitoes in Mumbai tend to be a monsoon problem, heaviest in July and August. From roughly December to March, the dry season, they tend to be few, though the malaria advice holds in every month. Sea-facing promenades such as Marine Drive tend to catch a breeze, while gardens, building sites and neighborhoods away from the sea tend to hold more. In the rains, avoid wading through floodwater, which can spread leptospirosis, an infection the CDC lists for India.

Where you're going

Adding the beaches? Our Goa briefing covers the shacks and huts down the coast.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads and linked so you can read them in full. Neither is dated, neither covers the monsoon, and a visitor's impression of few mosquitoes doesn't change the CDC's malaria advice.

• Colaba and the airport area, Mumbai

  A traveler trying to conceive, worried about Zika, asked about mosquitoes before a stay near the airport and in Chembur. The one firsthand reply came from someone who had stayed in Colaba and then near the airport about ten days earlier; they noticed no mosquitoes in either place and got no bites without repellent. TripAdvisor ↗

• Mumbai · January

  Replies said mosquitoes are not rampant in Mumbai in January and are mainly a monsoon problem, especially in July and August. Another poster cautioned that standing water remains even without rain, so dengue and malaria should still be taken seriously. TripAdvisor ↗

One more rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during your trip or in the year after it means a doctor visit, right away, and you tell them you were in India. Dengue usually shows up within two weeks; malaria can take much longer.

Traveler questions