SDMC asks neighbouring areas to take steps to curb dengue

According to the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) of SDMC, N K Yadav, a meeting of municipal corporations of Delhi, and districts of other states neighbouring the capital, were held recently to discuss ways and measures to be taken up to curb the menace of the vector-borne disease.

As per South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which compiles the data for all civic bodies in Delhi, till August 29, at least 831 persons were diagnosed with dengue in the national capital.

“At the meeting held under the aegis of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), representatives of civic and  health authorities from Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Sonepat, Noida, among other cities, besides Delhi were present,” Yadav said. 

Out of 831 cases diagnosed in Delhi, 30 persons hailed from Uttar Pradesh and eight from Haryana, while 33 were from other states.

“Since, cases are coming from outside Delhi also, we decided to cross-notify these districts neighbouring <g data-gr-id="35">Delhi,</g> so that they can take effective mosquito-breeding control programme. We will also be mailing addresses of such patients diagnosed with dengue to civic authorities in their respective district.

“There are some border areas having contiguous residential zones, so we need simultaneous action on both sides,” he added.

“On an average 40 cases occur every day...and if preventive actions are not take then the situation may become very serious,” Yadav said, “We are however taking measures to check the spread of the disease.” 

The Health Department of Delhi government said that the decision was also taken as hospitals in the city are overflowing with dengue patients and some private hospitals running at 100 per cent occupancy.

“This would help the authorities in the neighbouring districts to upgrade medical infrastructure and enhance diagnostic facilities to combat dengue. “Now the time for prevention is gone. Management of the dengue cases and control of fever is the need of the hour,” a senior health department official said. 

Of the total 831 cases in Delhi, north Delhi recorded the highest at 352 and south Delhi 220, while east Delhi posted the lowest with 73 cases. 115 cases were reported from areas outside the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations.

The number of cases from January 1 to August 29 for the last four years before 2015 are — 33 (2014), 162 (2013), 13 (2012), 73 (2011). For the same period in 2010, over 1,000 cases were reported.