The onset of a late monsoon did bring relief to people from dengue fever, but it was a ‘come late than never’ situation for the mosquitoes as one heavy rainfall in the first week of September sped up the breeding of all types of dengue mosquitoes in the Capital. Almost 40 cases of dengue have been reported in the city since the first downpour in first week of September.
While this is still just a fraction of the number of dengue cases in previous years, doctors have said that the numbers are only going to increase as the rains so far have fueled the breeding of mosquitoes.
According to a doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), the number of dengue patients coming in has increased drastically.
“After the first rain itself the cases of dengue have increased. This is because the mosquitoes only need a trigger of rainfall to start breeding. With their recent habitation in the city, it is very difficult to get rid of them. Cases hadn’t come up so far only because of less rain,” said the doctor.
The statistics of September from the municipal corporations of Delhi show that up to September 6, there were 40 cases of dengue that were registered. This is almost an increase of 34 cases since August 28 when only six cases of dengue were there. Thus, the rain actually resumed the breeding of the dengue mosquito.
While North Delhi used to be the most common place for dengue cases to be detected, this year, it has had the least cases even among the total. This year a total of 40 dengue cases have been found. In those 40, only three are from North DMC while last year, 140 alone were from the area. South DMC has registered the maximum cases this year. They have 18 cases of dengue registered among the 40 total. East DMC has registered only five cases so far.
Dr Ekta Gupta, assistant professor at Institute of liver and Biliary Sciences (IlBS), who has extensively worked on the causes and effects of dengue outbreak, said that the frequency of dengue has increased in the recent years and just because of the scarcity of rain, the city has been safe of dengue.
“The problem is that slowly with time all four types of dengue mosquito have started breeding here. The first time dengue came to Delhi was in 1996. That was type III. Then the same type outbreak took place in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Then gradually the type II mosquitoes started breeding leading to finally the breeding of all four types of dengue mosquitoes in Delhi. Thus, the frequency of outbreaks has only increased with years. Only the dry heat kept them away this year because one or two good rainfalls and they are back,” said Gupta.
However, these numbers are far lesser than in other years. last year itself 255 cases of dengue had been registered by this time. If the rain continues, doctors fear that the numbers may match by the end of September. However, they have their precautions ready. “We are doing our best to ensure that all the precautions are taken and we also advise others to take sufficient precautions,” said a doctor from a Government hospital in central Delhi.