Chikungunya, dengue, malaria sting New Delhi; over 1,700 people affected

Nearly 290 cases of dengue were reported in the national capital over the last week taking the total number of people affected by the disease to 945 this season, according to a municipal report released today.

A 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season.

The number of people affected by malaria this year till August 26 has climbed to 473, while the figure for chikungunya stands at 339.

Of the 945 cases, 435 affected people were residents of Delhi, while the rest were patients from other states. Of the 435 cases of Delhi residents, 249 were reported this month.
 
Vector-borne diseases are reported between mid-July and November-end. Cases of all the three vector-borne diseases were reported much earlier this time, which doctors had attributed to early arrival of the monsoon.

Dengue and chikungunya are caused by aedes agypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. Anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water.

According to the report, breeding of mosquitoes has been reported at 1,27,334 households in Delhi. All the three municipal corporations have stepped up awareness drives -- distributing pamphlets and plying vehicles with loudspeakers issuing dos and don'ts for prevention of the diseases.

The city government has banned over-the-counter sale of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and brufen as their use may "pose a threat" to dengue and chikungunya patients.

At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year at various hospitals, including the nine at AIIMS, though the official tally of the civic bodies stood at 10. Seventeen deaths suspected to be due to malaria in 2016 were also reported by the civic bodies.

At least 15 fatalities were reported last year at various hospitals in the city due to complications triggered by chikungunya, though the civic bodies have kept the death tally at zero.

In one of the worst outbreaks, a total of 12,221 chikungunya cases were reported in Delhi till December 24, 2016, out of which 9,749 were confirmed.