3,791 dengue cases in Delhi; toll 17: Official

There have been 3,791 dengue cases in the national capital, and 17 people have died due to the viral disease till September 19, the authorities said on Monday.

The new figures released by the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) prompted Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain to call for an emergency meeting of all municipal commissioners on Monday evening to decide on how to control the rising dengue cases.

As part of the initiatives, 55 dengue and fever clinics were made functional across the capital.

The latest victim of dengue was a 36-year-old woman from east Delhi who succumbed on Sunday night at a private hospital.

Among the total figures released by the MCD, 1,119 new cases were detected in the last one week, with over 12 deaths, according to official figures.

However, the unofficial death toll stands at more than 30.

As per statistics, the total number of dengue cases last year till September 19 was 995, with only three deaths.

The number of dengue cases in 2013 was 5,574, in 2012 it was 2,093, in 2011 it was 1,131 and in 2010 it ws 6,259.

The Delhi government has also decided to increase the number of beds in government Hospitals, with 200 beds each in Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital. A hundred beds will be increased in Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda also reviewed the facilities for treatment of dengue patients at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and a few others.

He directed the medical superintendents of the hospitals to submit a status report on dengue on a daily basis.