As cases of chikungunya rise in the national Capital even before the onset of monsoon, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said on Tuesday that the Government was prepared to handle any possible outbreak of vector-borne diseases in the city. At least 96 cases of chikungunya have been reported in Delhi this year, with 10 of them this month, according to a municipal report.
At least 36 people died due to chikungunya and dengue last year. The Delhi Government had received flak after one of the worst outbreaks of chikungunya in the city with a total of 12,221 cases reported till December 24, 2016 out of which 9,749 were confirmed.
“There have been meetings at the l-G level on steps to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. All civic bodies have been instructed as well. Besides, we have directed various hospitals to increase their bed strength by 10-20 per cent,” Jain said.
During his surprise inspection of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Dilshad Garden in East Delhi, Jain also interacted with patients and their family members.
Recently, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a surprise inspection visited Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, during which he expressed displeasure over the state of affairs there.
“There are about 10,000 beds in Delhi Government hospitals. We had put extra beds last year as well and this time as well, we will add more beds if needed,” Jain said, adding, the focus would be more on preventive measures.
Kejriwal had recently directed authorities to make a comprehensive plan to deal with dengue and chikungunya, while civic bodies are keeping a tab on mosquito-breeding, inside and outside homes, through regular monitoring.
Forty cases of dengue have also been reported till May 27, the report says.
Though the season of the vector-borne diseases had ended in December, the city continues to report such cases, which has prompted authorities to prepare a roadmap to combat them.
As many as 4,431 cases of dengue were reported till the end of 2016. At least 15 fatalities were reported last year at various hospitals in the city due to complications triggered by chikungunya though the civic bodies have kept the death tally at zero.
At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year at various hospitals, including nine at AIIMS, though the official tally of the SDMC stood at 10. The season for the vector-borne diseases begins from mid-July.
It may be noted that the lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on March 23 held a review meeting with the three municipal commissioners on preparations for combating vector-borne diseases in the city.
