295 dengue cases in a week, count for year past 2.4k in Delhi

Total dengue infections stood at 2,175 till October 26 and 295 cases have been recorded this month till November 4, data showed. Of the total reported cases, 693 surfaced in September and the monthly tally climbed to 1,238 in Octobe

The Capital reported 295 cases of dengue in November, taking the total tally of infections to over 2,400 this year, according to data released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday.

Health experts from across the city said while there is an uptick in dengue patients, especially over the past two to three weeks, the symptoms are largely “mild to moderate”. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Dr BL Sherwal, medical superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital, said cases have been high this year because of the erratic rainfall that continued till October.

Total dengue infections stood at 2,175 till October 26 and 295 cases have been recorded this month till November 4, data showed. Of the total reported cases, 693 surfaced in September and the monthly tally climbed to 1,238 in October.

Despite the high count, Delhi has not recorded any dengue deaths so far. Last year, 23 people had died of the vector-borne disease. One person succumbed to the infection in 2020, two in 2019, four in 2018 and 10 in 2017.

Health experts from across the city said while there is an uptick in dengue patients, especially over the past two to three weeks, the symptoms are largely “mild to moderate”.

Heads of Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest Delhi government facility in the city, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital also confirmed similar trends.

“People are recovering with mild to moderate symptoms,” said Dr Subhash Giri, medical director of GTB and RGSS.

Records maintained by fever clinics of major hospitals, including Lok Nayak Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, show that since mid-October, there are more dengue and chikungunya cases as compared to Covid-19 cases.

“People must ensure that they do not allow stagnation of water in their premises. The positive sign, however, is that cases coming in now are not very severe,” said Dr Sherwal.