The national Capital is witnessing vector-borne diseases afflicting more than 3,000 people and claiming lives of 33 people (dengue & chikungunya), said health experts. In such a situation the biggest challenge is how to keep onself safe from mosquito bites. Experts said sensitising people and creating awareness on the disease are the best options as, even fumigation is just a symbolic action.
Till now, at least 18 people succumbed due to dengue and about 1,100 are infected with the disease. Also, this year after the gap of five years, the Capital saw two malaria deaths, confirmed by South Delhi Municipal Corporation — the body responsible for managing the statistics of vector-borne diseases.
Dr KK Aggarwal, National President (Elect) of Indian Medical Association (IMA) told The Pioneer, “Now, the epidemic has occurred in the city. What to do now…IJ, to secure our future from mosquito terror. Every house should talk of ‘no to mosquitoes’ and then only we can be safe from vector-borne diseases. Civic bodies, will conduct fogging around our houses, not inside our houses. It’s our duty to make our home free of mosquito-genic conditions.”
Criticising Municipal Corporation for not doing early fumigation and failing to maintaining poor drainage system before the onset of monsoon, Dr RK Singal, Director Internal Medicine at BlK hospital said if the corporations and the Government had taken mosquito breeding measures, the present scenario of health crisis in Delhi could have been avoided. “The fogging which would be done now is just a symbolic. It will not show good results.”
People should maintain mosquito free environment in and around their houses, to protect their future, Dr Singal added. Currently, all Government/ private hospitals are flooded with patients suffering from high-grade fever, dengue and chikungunya.
In order to cater all patients, extra beds, more doctors and medical staff have been added to the all hospitals to cope up with the situation.
With high incidence of chikungunya in West Bengal, Karnataka and Telegana this year, the tiny blood sucking ades mosquitoes have claimed 15 lives and 1,700 people are suffering with the viral disease.
Till Friday, AIIMS laboratory only recorded more than 1,500 cases of chikungyuna, Dr lalit Dar, Professor of Microbiology at AIIMS told The Pioneer. “It should be within us to keep our surrounding clean and mosquito breeding. MCD workers will not conduct fumigation inside our houses,” said Dr Dar.
As of date, Safdarjung Hospital has witnessed 692 positive chikungyuna cases and 360 dengue cases with five mortalities, said Dr AK Rai, medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital.
With recent two deaths in chikungunya associated with co-morbid conditions reported at Sir Ganga Ram hospital, the hospital has recorded seven deaths so far. Out of the 15 deaths, Apollo Hospital has reported five, while AIIMS, Hindu Rao Hospital and PSRI recorded one death each. Gulab Chand Gupta (70) from lajpat Nagar in South Delhi, died on September 12, a family member confirmed.
Earlier, this week, AIIMS too confirmed one death due to chikungunya in co-morbid condition. Also, at municipal-run Bara Hindu Rao hospital, a 30-year-old woman had died of chikungunya on September 5. Dr Ajit Goyal, Director at Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, had told The Pioneer, “The patient was suffering from heart complication due to which her disease got exaggerated and she died. She was admitted to the hospital on August 26.”
“He was admitted at Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI) in South Delhi on September 7 and succumbed to chikungunya complications on September 12. His medical report said he died of acute febrile illness with septic shock and multi-organ failure,” his son-in-law Santosh Mangal said.