New Delhi: An alarming 142 cases of dengue have been detected in August in the city, the highest this year, prompting the municipal bodies to step up preventive measures.
From 11 cases in July, the highest till then, the figure for dengue has jumped to 142, which has been attributed to intermittent rains and stable temperature building conducive mosquitogenic conditions but no death has been reported so far, according to an MCD report released today.
“The peak for dengue cases is generally during September end but due to intermittent rains last month, the temperature got stabilised to about 25 degree Celsius, conducive for breeding of related mosquitoes and hence the manifold rise,” North Delhi and East Delhi public relations officer Yogendra Singh Mann told PTI.
There were only 20 cases of dengue from January to July, while March and May posted none.
For Delhi region, in the January-August period, a total of 152 dengue cases were reported, while 10 were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and other states, the report said.
Figures for various corporations are - North (90), South (36) and East (13). Thirteen cases were reported from regions in Delhi outside the jurisdiction of MCD.
Most number of cases came were from Rohini (31) and Narela (32) in North Zone. Malaria cases also rose to 24 in August against 18 in July.
Mann said that preventive measures were being stepped up.
The number of legal notices issued on detection of mosquito breeding on premises from January to August stood at 79,738 as compared to 43,374 last year over the same period, the report said.
“We are continuing with our anti-larval routines with Malaria inspectors working in each zones. Our domestic breeding checkers are going from door to door to alert people to take precautionary and preventive measures.
“Fumigation is being carried out along Yamuna banks. We have also released fish in certain areas, so that they consume the mosquito larvae,” he said.
Regular activation and sensitisation plans have been going on and camps are being organised to educate people about the disease and the measures to be taken by them.
“We are expecting a dry spell and temperature change might affect breeding again. So, we are on alert. Also, we will be running ‘terminator trains' in uninhabited areas, where water stagnation occurs and we will be spraying fumes,” Mann said.
