Dengue: Two more deaths, toll rises to 21 in Delhi

Two more deaths due to dengue, including that of young boy, have been reported in Delhi, which took to 21 the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease in the national capital.

The total number of dengue cases in Delhi has gone up to to 1,692 with 921 of them being reported this month, according to a municipal report.

Both the deaths occurred recently, one at Safdarjung Hospital and the other at Lok Nayak Jaiprakash (LNJP) Hospital.

"A young boy from Delhi died due to dengue at our hospital on Friday," Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital A K Rai said.

Authorities at LNJP today also confirmed the death at the hospital, saying, "a person recently died of dengue here."

This is the third dengue death at LNJP Hospital, the biggest hospital under the Delhi government.

The first dengue victim this season was a 17-year-old girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi who had died on July 21 at this hospital. Another person had died over a month later.

Safdarjung Hospital has reported three dengue fatalities this season.

At least 314 cases of the vector-borne disease haven been reported between September 18 and 24, South Delhi Municipal Corporation said in the latest report.

Out of the 21 deaths, nine at AIIMS and rest at other city hospitals, the SDMC has only acknowledged four of them.

AIIMS in a report released on September 15 had said among the dengue and chikungunya patients visiting the hospital, 70 per cent belonged to Uttar Pradesh, 10 per cent to Bihar and rest to Delhi.

Out of the total cases, August alone accounted for 652.

The number of houses where mosquito-breeding have been found till September 24 are — 51,598 (in NDMC areas), 71,227 (SDMC) and 18,681 (EDMC). The number of prosecutions launched in these areas are 4277, 6955 and 1937 respectively.

Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases — the worst in 20 years — with the disease claiming 60 lives, according to municipal reports.

In 1996, a severe outbreak of dengue had occurred in Delhi when about 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were reported.