2018: 2,800 dengue, 473 malaria, 165 chikungunya cases in Delhi

Dengue cases in Delhi have risen to 2,798 in 2018 as the year inched towards its end, a municipal report said Monday. At least four deaths, including that of a minor boy, have been reported due to the vector-borne disease till the third week of December.

Three of the deceased have been identified by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) as Aman Tiwari (13), Sanskriti (21) and Gagan (23). Gagan had died on September 30 and the other two persons succumbed in October.

The report said the total number of cases of dengue had mounted to 2,798 till December 22. At least 141 of these have been recorded in December, while 1,062 dengue cases were reported in November and 1,114 in October, the report said. A total of 374 dengue cases were recorded in September, 58 on August, 19 in July, eight on June, 10 in May, two in April, one in March, three in February and six in January.

At least 583 cases have been reported from areas falling under three civic bodies -- North Corporation (91), South Corporation (279) and East Corporation (213). The rest of the cases were reported from areas outside the jurisdiction of the municipal corporations of Delhi.

Moreover, 473 malaria and 165 chikungunya cases have been reported this season, the report said. Two malaria cases were reported in February, one each in March and April, 17 on May, 25 in June, 42 in July, 82 in August, 138 in September, 130 on October, 33 in November and two in December, according to the SDMC, which tabulates data on vector-borne diseases.

Doctors have advised people to take precautions to ensure that there was no breeding of mosquito larvae around them and urged them to wear full-sleeves and use mosquito nets. Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection-carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot, a doctor said. Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December.

The report said domestic-breeding checkers found mosquito breeding in 2,34,535 households till December 22 and 1,87,210 legal notices have been served for various violations and 25,981 prosecutions initiated in this regard.

As a proactive measure, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had directed local bodies and other agencies a few months ago 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 had died and 9,271 people were affected due to dengue in Delhi last year.

(With inputs from agencies.)