Bulk of dengue cases in Delhi came in September

The total number of dengue cases reported in the Capital crossed the 300-mark on Monday as the weekly report released by the municipal corporations added 68 more cases, taking the total tally to 341 till October 2

The total number of dengue cases reported in the Capital crossed the 300-mark on Monday as the weekly report released by the municipal corporations added 68 more cases, taking the total tally to 341 till October 2. Of the total, 217 cases were recorded in September, which is the highest number of cases seen in the month in the last three years.

A civic employee fumigates a road in the capital. Dengue cases in Delhi usually peak around October. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Dengue usually start increasing in July and August after monsoons, and peaks in mid-October. This year, however, the cases started increasing in August-end and September due to heavy showers that the city received in the last month of monsoon.

“There was an increase in mosquito breeding after the heavy rainfall. The rains were later than usual this year; it was also very heavy with gaps in between, all of which favoured breeding,” according to an official from the south corporation.

Hospitals have also seen an increase in the number of cases being reported.

“Dengue has increased substantially, probably 50-70% over the last three weeks. We see one or two person admitted with dengue every day at our hospital,” said Dr Rommel Tickoo, director of internal medicine at Max hospital-Saket.

He said, “The good thing, however, is that most of the cases are mild and can be treated at home. Even in the few patients who were admitted, the symptoms resolved within two-three days. There were cases where the platelet count dipped, but there was no need for transfusion or ICU care. This leads me to believe that the milder serotype 1 is affecting the people in the city.”

There are four serotypes of dengue virus – Type 1 and 3 are the milder serotypes while type 2 and 4 are associated with severe disease.Patients suffering from serotypes 1 and 3 have symptoms like fever, headache, body ache, and pain behind the eyes. Type 2 is associated with more severe disease leading to drop in platelet count, inability to form blood clots, and internal bleeding. Type 4 is associated with leaking of fluids from the capillaries leading to drop in blood pressure and circulatory shock (not enough blood reaching the organs).

Dengue came into prominence amid a waning Covid-19 pandemic after it was identified as one of the diseases, along with scrub typhus and leptospirosis, which claimed at least 51 lives, mostly of children, in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Doctor advises wearing full-sleeve clothes and using mosquito repellents when stepping out to protect one-self from the mosquito which bites people during the day. The aedes aegypti mosquito that spread the disease breeds in clean stagnant water.

The Delhi government has started the “10 hafte, 10 baje, 10 minute” campaign to urge people to check their homes and nearby areas for mosquito breeding. The doctor also advises against the use of any pain medications as it may complicate the disease.