No instance of death has been claimed and/or recorded this week. In the year 1996, around 10,252 dengue cases of which there were 423 deaths recorded, had wreaked havoc in the city. The <g data-gr-id="34">MCD’s</g> tall claims of carrying out fumigation programmes have gone down the drain as the unofficial figures are much higher.
According to fresh data, among the three Corporations in Delhi, South Delhi Municipal Corporation is worst off with 1,960 cases. While the total number of 5,782 dengue cases were reported from Delhi itself, around 1,036 cases were recorded from other areas adjoining the capital. North MCD recorded a total of 1,923 cases till date while the East MCD recorded 1,011. Of the total 1,120 cases recorded this week, Shahdara (South) zone recorded maximum cases at 110 followed by Shahdara (North) which recorded 77 cases.
With 10,252 cases and 423 deaths, 1996 was the worst dengue year on record for Delhi. The government had made it mandatory to record the spread of the viral disease to prevent and control outbreaks in 18 endemic states/Union Territories, including Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana. “The year 1996 registered the largest number of dengue fatalities. After that, there were some years when the capital recorded a sudden spurt in dengue cases. But this week’s data has surpassed all records since 1996,” said a senior health official in the MCD.
With the Capital witnessing the worst outbreak after a gap of 19 years, September alone witnessed 6,775 dengue cases. Before this, the year 2010 recorded 2,360 cases in September and 2,246 in October. About two weeks ago, dengue fever broke the record of last five years as the total number of dengue cases reached 3,791. According to the report, nearly 2,000 fresh dengue cases were reported in the third week of September alone. The cases multiplied threefold compared to the data of the second week of September, which had recorded over 600 cases.
This alarming data comes at a time when the agencies – all three Corporations and the state government – have been claiming to do their best to rein in the dengue outbreak. “We are trying our best to fight dengue. All anti-dengue machines are in place and workers are working round the clock to combat the deadly disease,” said an official.