Dengue cases cross 1000-mark, over 230 fresh cases in 1 wk

Dengue cases have spiked in the national capital in the last one week, taking the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this year in the city to over 1,000, according to civic authorities.

As per the report released on Monday, the number of malaria cases recorded till November 2 has also risen to 617, it said.

Till October 26, the city had recorded 833 cases of dengue. With 236 fresh cases added in one week, the total currently stands at 1,069, the civic authorities said.

Of the total dengue cases, October saw 787, the highest in any month so far his year while in the same month 249 malaria cases were also recorded, according to the report.

Besides, 551 dengue cases were recorded in October, 190 in September, 52 in August, 18 in July, 11 in June and the rest were registered between January and May, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates the data on vector-borne diseases in the city.

Fifty-six malaria cases were recorded in August, 54 in July, 35 in June, eight in May and one in April, it said.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain last week had said the national capital had recorded the lowest number of cases of dengue this year, in comparison to the last five years, and appealed to Delhiites to keep up the collective efforts till the next month.

"Latest figures show that till October 26 there have been 833 cases of dengue in Delhi this year so far, and there has been no casualty. This is the lowest figure for Delhi in the last five years," he said.

The minister said Delhi is "well on course to defeat dengue this year" and appealed to people to keep working on preventive measures and build more awareness.

According to the report, at least 143 cases of chikungunya have also been reported this year.

Last year, 2,798 dengue cases and four deaths were recorded by the SDMC. It had also reported 473 cases of malaria and 165 cases of chikungunya.

Both the Delhi government and the local bodies have been making efforts to raise awareness on precautions to ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae.

The AAP government has started an anti-dengue campaign '10Hafte, 10Baje, 10Minute' urging people to inspect their house for any standing water.

The campaign -- from September 1 and November 15 -- to combat dengue has garnered support from several personalities, including cricket legend Kapil Dev, many Bollywood actors and well-known journalists.

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

Doctors have advised people to take precautions and ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae around them. They have urged people to wear full-sleeves and use mosquito nets.

Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as mosquitoes carrying dengue virus usually breed there, a doctor said.

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

Meanwhile, mosquito-breeding has been reported in at least 1,69,021 households and 1,34,328 legal notices have been issued this year.

From public schools to government office premises, several institutions have been penalised by civic authorities in north Delhi in the last five months over breeding of mosquito larvae on their premises, officials had earlier said.