2 dengue cases in NCR take total to 15
NEW DELHI: Two cases of dengue in NCR were reported in the first four days of June, taking the total number of cases this year to 15, according to a data released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Both cases were from outside Delhi. The Capital witnessed its worst dengue outbreak in 2015, which affected more than 15,000 people and killed 60.
The numbers, however, are not predictive of whether Delhi will witness an outbreak of the vector-borne disease this year, experts said.
“My guess is as good as anyone else’s. There are theories that dengue is cyclic, meaning that fewer cases are seen after there has been an outbreak. However, there are four serotypes of dengue, and herd immunity due to an outbreak from one serotype, will not protect the population from the others,” said a municipal health officer.
Dr BR Mirdha, additional professor of microbiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences agrees. “It will depend on which serotype is in circulation this year. Last year, serotype two and four were in circulation. Since the population is now immune to them, the effect would be mild if the same serotypes circulate. But, if it is the others people would be vulnerable,” he said.
Experts agree that at the moment efforts must be focused on prevention of breeding of Aedes Egypti,the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and zika.
“The mosquito which transmits dengue only breeds in clear water and takes eight days to mature. So, people must check their homes for any stagnant clear water once a week to prevent breeding. Natural elements like rainfall also have a very important role,” said the health official.