Dengue cases in Delhi jump to 343; 236 in Sep alone

Dengue cases have spiralled in the city with over 340 people being diagnosed with the vector-borne disease this season, nearly 70 per cent of whom were affected in September alone, a municipal report released on Monday said.

At least 100 fresh cases of dengue have been reported in the last one week.

As many as 256 cases of malaria and 68 of chikungunya have also been reported this season till September 22.

Of the total 343 dengue cases this year, 236 were reported till September 22, 58 in August, 19 in July, eight in June, 10 in May, two in April, one in March, three in February and six cases in January.

Two cases of malaria were reported in February, one each in April and March, 17 in May, 25 in June, 42 in July, 82 in August and 55 till September 15, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data on vector-borne diseases for the city.

A senior doctor at a government-run facility advised people to take all precautions, like wearing full-sleeves and not allowing the breeding of mosquito larvae inside their homes.

"Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot. Mosquito nets should be used at home," the doctor said.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13.

The report said domestic breeding checkers found mosquito breeding in 1,71,045 households in the city till September 22. It said 1,43,611 legal notices have been served for various violations and "20,112 prosecutions initiated".

On June 28, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector control measures.

He had also asked for regular meetings at the level of district magistrates with all stakeholders to review the situation in their respective districts.

According to the SDMC, 10 people died due to dengue in Delhi last year, of whom five were not residents of the national capital.

Overall, the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city last year.