Over 830 dengue cases in Delhi this year; 189 in last week alone
Over 830 people have been diagnosed with dengue in the national capital this year, with the last week alone recording 189 cases of the vector-borne disease, a municipal report released on Monday said.
The number of malaria cases recorded till October 26 has also risen to 574, it said. Till October 19, the city had recorded 644 cases of dengue. With 189 fresh cases added in the past week, the total currently stands at 833, the civic authorities said.
However, 206 cases of malaria have been recorded this month till October 26, while September saw 214 cases. Of the total 833 dengue cases, 551 were recorded in October, 190 in September, 52 in August, 18 in July, 11 in June and the rest were registered between January and May, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates the data on vector-borne diseases in the city.
As many as 56 malaria cases were recorded in August, 54 in July, 35 in June, eight in May and one in April, it said. Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the national capital has so far recorded the lowest number of cases of dengue this year, in comparison to the last five years, and appealed to Delhiites to keep up the collective efforts till the next month.
"Latest figures show that till October 26 there have been 833 cases of dengue in Delhi this year so far, and there has been no casualty. This is the lowest figure for Delhi in the last five years," he said.
The minister said Delhi is "well on course to defeat dengue this year" and appealed to people to keep working on preventive measures and build more awareness. According to the report, at least 132 cases of chikungunya have also been reported this year. Last year, 2,798 dengue cases and four deaths were recorded by the SDMC. It had also reported 473 cases of malaria and 165 cases of chikungunya.
Both the Delhi government and the local bodies have been making efforts to raise awareness on precautions to ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae. The AAP government has started an anti-dengue campaign ''10Hafte, 10Baje, 10Minute'' urging people to inspect their house for any standing water.
The campaign — from September 1 and November 15 — to combat dengue has garnered support from several personalities, including cricket legend Kapil Dev, many Bollywood actors and well-known journalists. Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clear, standing water, while those of malaria thrive even in dirty water.
Doctors have advised people to take precautions and ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae around them. They have urged people to wear full-sleeves and use mosquito nets. Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as mosquitoes carrying dengue virus usually breed there, a doctor said.
Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December. Meanwhile, mosquito-breeding has been reported in at least 1,66,106 households and 1,32,062 legal notices have been issued this year.
From public schools to government office premises, several institutions have been penalised by civic authorities in north Delhi in the last five months over breeding of mosquito larvae on their premises, officials had earlier said.
-PTI
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