At least four people, including a minor boy, have died due to dengue this year in Delhi, according to a municipal report released Monday.
The report said that besides the four fatalities, the total number of cases of the vector-borne disease in the national capital mounted to 4,465 till December 1.
Three victims identified by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation were Aman Tiwari (13), Sanskriti (21) and Gagan (23), it said.
Gagan died on September 30, and the other two succumbed in October.
This is the first time the civic bodies have reported death due to dengue this year.
As many as 1,062 dengue cases were reported in November and 1,114 in October, the report said.
Also, 471 cases of malaria and 161 of chikungunya have been reported this season, it said.
Of the 4,465 dengue cases this year, 374 were recorded in September, 58 in August, 19 in July, eight in June, 10 in May, two in April, one in March, three in February and six in January.
The rest cases were reported from areas outside the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations of Delhi.
Two malaria cases were reported in February, one each in April and March, 17 in May, 25 in June, 42 in July, 82 in August, 138 in September and 130 in October, according to the SDMC, which tabulates data on vector-borne diseases in the city.
Doctors have advised people to take precautions to ensure there is no breeding of mosquitoes inside their homes and urged them to wear full-sleeves and use mosquito nets.
Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot, a doctor said.
Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13.
The report said domestic breeding checkers found mosquito breeding in 2,31,523 households in the city till December 1 and 1,84,853 legal notices have been served for various violations and "25,923 prosecutions initiated".
As a pro-active measure, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had a few months ago directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector-control measures.
He had also asked for regular meetings at the level of district magistrates with all stakeholders to review the situation in their respective districts.
According to the SDMC, 10 people died due to dengue in Delhi last year, of whom five were not residents of the national capital.
Overall, the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city last year.
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