8,896 dengue cases reported in Delhi, malaria up to 1,128

NEW DELHI: With 347 cases of dengue reported in the previous week, the total number of dengue cases in Delhi has reached to 8,896 in the Capital this year.

The number of people affected by malaria, meanwhile, has climbed to 1,128, while the figure for chikungunya stood at 901, with 23 new cases reported last week, according to the data released by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Monday.

Of the 8,896 dengue patients, 4,556 belonged to Delhi and 4,340 patients came to Delhi for treatment from other states, the report read.

The number of dengue cases recorded in the city in October stood at 2,022, while 727 cases have been reported this month till November 25, it said.

Till November 25, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation reported 700 cases of dengue, the highest among the three civic bodies, while SDMC registered 698 cases in the same period.

In areas of East Delhi Municipal Corporation, over 398 cases were reported.

Many residents have blamed the apathy of civic bodies for the rise in cases of vector-borne diseases.

However, a senior MCD official said that all measures have been taken to prevent breeding of mosquitoes and awareness is being spread among the public through different means, such as pamphlets, poster, and radio.

"The measures to check breeding including spraying of insecticide and cleaning drains and nullah," he said.

According to a SDMC official, till November 25, breeding has been reported from 2,08,048 households in Delhi this year.

1,69,667 legal notices have been issued to various people by civic bodies in their respective areas.

Four people, as per the SDMC report, have lost their lives to disease this year, with the first casualty being a 12-year-old boy who succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

The other three dengue victims were women. These include a 26-year-old Manipuri woman who died at Holy Family Hospital in August, a 49-year-old woman who died of dengue shock syndrome at SGRH on September 2 and another 26-year-old woman who died at Max Super Specialty Hospital.

At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year at various hospitals, including the nine at AIIMS, though the official tallies of the civic bodies stood at 10.

17 deaths suspected to be due to malaria in 2016 were also reported by the civic bodies.