Dengue cases in Delhi cross 1,000-mark; over 280 fresh cases in one week

Over 1,000 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital this year, with more than 280 fresh cases logged in the last one week, according to a civic report released on Monday.

Of the total count of dengue cases recorded in Delhi this season, 665 have been recorded this month till October 23.

Cases of the vector-borne disease have been rising in the city in the last two weeks, and the first death due to it in Delhi was recorded on October 18.

The deceased was identified as Mamta Kashyap, aged about 35, and was a resident of Sarita Vihar in south Delhi. She died of dengue late September at a private hospital here.

According to the civic report on vector-borne diseases released on Monday, one death due to dengue and a total of 1,006 dengue cases have been recorded this season till October 23, which is the highest cases count since 2018 for the same period.

The total number of cases this year till October 16 had stood at 723. So, 283 fresh cases have been logged in one week.

The number of cases reported for the January 1-October 16 period in the previous three years were -- 489 (2020); 833 (2019) and 1,310 (2018), as per the report.

A total of 1,072 cases and one death, were logged in the entire year in 2020, according to the report releasd by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the nodal agency for tabulating data on vector-borne diseases in the city.

The number of deaths due to dengue in years preceding to 2020, had stood at -- two (2019); four (2018); 10 (2017); and 10 (2016), according to the official tally maintained by the SDMC.

The 665 cases reported in October till date, is by far the highest number of cases recorded in a month this year.

The month-wise distribution of dengue cases in 2021 stands as -- January (0), February (2), March (5), April (10) and May (12), June (7), July (16) and August (72), as per the report.

In September this season, 217 cases were logged, the highest count for the month in the last three years.

Last year, 188 dengue cases were reported in the entire month of September, and 190 in 2019. In preceding years, the corresponding figures had stood at 374 (2018), 1103 (2017), 1,362 (2016) and 6,775 (2015), according to data shared by Delhi health department on September 22.

Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clear, standing water, while those of malaria thrive even in dirty water.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December.

As per the civic report, 154 cases of malaria and 73 cases of chikungunya have also been reported till October 16 this year in Delhi.

In the previous years, the total dengue cases reported were -- 4,431 (2016), 4,726 (2017), 2,798 (2018), 2036 (2019) and 1,072 (2020), as per the report.

Malaria, dengue and chikungunya are accompanied with high fever and therefore, doctors feel that people might suspect that they have contracted COVID-19.

Amid the spike in cases of dengue, the three civic bodies have intensified their fogging and spraying drives, even as officials on Friday had claimed that there was "enough stock" of insecticides and medicines to combat the vector-borne diseases.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive outbreak of dengue, when the number of dengue cases reported has crossed 10,600 in October itself, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996.