Delhi has seen a rise in Dengue cases with 40 cases recorded this year so far
Forty cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital this year, according to a civic report released on Monday. This figure for the January 1-July 17 period is the highest since 2019 when the count stood at 32.
Only four cases have been reported in the month of July, as per the report.
Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clear, standing water, while those of malaria thrive even in dirty water.
Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December.
The SDMC, the nodal agency for vector-borne diseases control in Delhi, in a statement issued last week had said that 1,441 construction sites had been inspected as part of an ongoing drive, and mosquito-breeding was reported at 334 of these.
The public health department took action against owners and contractors of these sites by issuing 160 legal notices and 175 challans, it had said.
Prominent construction sites where mosquito-breeding was found included the L&T construction site at Bhairo Marg, Reliance construction site, Afcon construction site at Sarai Kale Khan, Sahitya Academy at Dwarka Sector 11, a Delhi government dispensary at Dwarka, a Delhi government school in Hari Nagar, and Shapoorji Pallonji construction site at ITPO complex, the statement said.
As per the civic report issued by the municipal corporations, the month-wise distribution of cases this year is -- January (0), February (2), March (5), April (10) and May (12), and June (7), it said. In the previous years, the cases in the same period were -- 50 (2016), 98 (2017), 43 (2018), 32 (2019), and 28 (2020), as per the report.
However, no deaths have been reported due to dengue in the city till now, it said.
As per the civic report released on Monday, 17 cases of malaria and 10 cases of chikungunya have also been reported till July 17 this year.
Malaria, dengue, and chikungunya are accompanied by high fever and therefore, doctors feel that people might suspect that they have contracted COVID-19.
