City reports 735 new dengue cases over a week; tally mounts to 7,358

New Delhi: As many as 735 fresh cases of dengue have been recorded during a week period between October 29 and November 4 in the Capital, taking the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this season to 7,358.

According to a municipal report released on Monday, the cases of Chikungunya reported 67 this week resulting in a total of 828 this yeas so far. The report has also witnessed 16 cases of malaria this week and a total of 1,098 cases this year. Five deaths in total have been reported so far, including two at the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash (LNJP) hospital in Central Delhi. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city, however, has not acknowledged the fatalities at the LNJP Hospital and kept the official toll at four.

Recently 26-year-old Moajeba, a resident of Delhi's Arbindo Marg died at Max Super Specialty Hospital. Earlier, 26-year-old Manipuri woman Rhoda Daimai, who was living in south Delhi's Sarita Vihar, had died at the Holy Family Hospital in August, while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue shock syndrome on September 2 at the SGRH and a 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season," according to civic authorities.

However, a senior official of the Corporation said that all the measures are being taken to reduce breeding. "Besides, awareness is also being spread among the masses," he 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 1.9 lakh households in Delhi this year till October 28 and 1. 62 lakh legal notices have been issued for mosquitogenic condition so far.

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 toll 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.

Experts have voiced their concern after the resurgence of this deadly parasite and have advised Government agencies to take adequate measures to arrest the spread of this deadly infectious disease that can trigger health hazard among the people.