Dengue sting: Two more deaths in Delhi, toll rises to 5

Two more deaths due to dengue have been reported in the national capital, taking the toll from the vector-borne disease in Delhi this season to five.
The two fatalities took place at the city government-run Lok Nayak Jayaprakash (LNJP) Hospital in central Delhi, officials today said.
"Over 860 cases of dengue have been reported at LNJP (Hospital) and two persons have died there due to the disease. One of the patients died in August and the other succumbed in September," Medical Superintendent of the LNJP Hospital J C Passey told PTI.
The number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this season till October 14 has mounted to 5,220, according to the latest municipal report.

The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city this year when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndrome at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) on August 1.
Two more deaths were reported on October 16 by the the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city.

The civic body, however, has not acknowledged the two fatalities at the LNJP Hospital.
26-year-old Manipuri woman Rhoda Daimai, who was living in south Delhi's Sarita Vihar, had died on August 27 of septicaemia and other ensuing complications while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue shock syndrome on September 2, the report had said.

Civic bodies said Daimai was a resident of a village in Manipur and had come to Delhi seeking treatment while Meena lived in Karawal Nagar in east Delhi. While Meena died at the SGRH, Rhoda succumbed at the Holy Family Hospital.
The number of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded in the city till October 14 stood at 1062 and 683 respectively, the report said.
Of the total 5,220 dengue cases, 2,564 were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other states. Of the 2,564 Delhi cases, 757 were reported this month, it said.
Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. This year, however, it has been much earlier.

Dengue and chikungunya are caused by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. The female anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water.
According to the SDMC, mosquito breeding has been reported from 4,78,978 households in Delhi this year till October 14.
At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year from various city hospitals, including nine at AIIMS, though the official figure of the civic bodies stood at 10.
Seventeen deaths, suspected to be due to malaria, were also reported by civic bodies last year.
At least 15 fatalities were reported last year from various city hospitals due to complications triggered by chikungunya, though civic authorities kept the death tally at zero.

One of the worst outbreaks of chikungunya was in 2016 when 12,221 cases were reported till December 24, 2016. Of these, 9,749 were confirmed.