With 680 fresh cases of dengue reported in the national Capital over the last week, the total number of people affected by the disease has reached 4,545 this season, according to a municipal report released on Monday. The number of people affected by malaria this year till October 7, has climbed to 1,032 in which 37 new cases recorded in a week, while the figure for chikungunya stands at 638 with 49 new cases reported previous week.
Of the total 4,545 dengue cases, 2,152 were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other States. Of the 2,152 Delhi cases, 345 were reported this month, the report said. According to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), mosquito breeding has been reported from 1, 80,687 households in Delhi.
A 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season.
However, a senior official of the Corporation said that all the three municipal corporations in the city have stepped up awareness drives, distributing pamphlets and plying vehicles with loudspeakers announcing dos and don’ts for prevention.
Dengue and chikungunya are caused by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. The female anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water.
The National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) had already found two new species of Anopheles Stephensi (urban vector) and Anopheles Culicifacies (rural vector) circulating this year. The parasitic infection was lying dormant after mutating, but it has made a comeback after a gap of five years at a time when Delhi is already reeling under the scourge of dengue and chikungunya.
Experts have raised the red flag after the resurgence of this deadly parasite and have advised Government agencies to take adequate measures to arrest the spread of this deadly infectious disease that can play havoc with people’s health.
At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year at various hospitals, including the nine at AIIMS, though the official tallies of the civic bodies stood at 10. Seventeen deaths suspected to be due to malaria in 2016 were also reported by the civic bodies.
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. In one of the worst outbreaks, a total of 12,221 chikungunya cases were reported in Delhi till December 24, 2016, out of which 9,749 were confirmed.