22 Cases of Dengue, 21 of Malaria Come to Light in Delhi

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Seven fresh cases of dengue have been reported in the last week, taking the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease in the national capital this season to 22, according to the latest municipal report released on Monday, 4 June.

Twenty-one cases of malaria and 13 cases of chikungunya have also been recorded till 2 June.

Of the 22 cases of dengue, six were recorded in January, three in February, one in March, two in April and 10 this month, according to the report.

The cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end, but this period may stretch up to mid-December.

There were no cases of any vector-borne disease till 13 January.

Meanwhile, domestic breeding checkers have found mosquito-breeding at 24,016 households in the city till 2 June, the report said.

"29,363 legal notices have been served for mosquito-genic conditions and 2,065 prosecutions have been initiated," it said.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Commissioner P K Goel had last month issued an advisory on prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in Delhi.

He had urged the heads of educational institutions and offices to cooperate in checking mosquito breeding in their areas.

The commissioner also advised people to buy coolers designed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which prevents mosquito-breeding, instead of conventional desert coolers.

At least 10 people died in Delhi due to dengue last year, according to the SDMC, which tabulates data for the entire city. Five of the 10 victims were not Delhi residents, but had died in the national capital.

He also asked heads of various offices to nominate nodal officer to ensure compliance with advisory and proper prevention.

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

The official toll maintained by the Delhi municipal authorities till 26 December had stood at four, even though some hospitals had reported a few more deaths due to dengue.

The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city last year on August 1 when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndrome at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

Three more deaths were reported in October by the SDMC.

The numbers of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded last year stood at 1,142 and 940, respectively.