Delhi dengue cases set a new record as tally crosses 7,100

The civic report showed that 7,128 dengue cases were reported until November 20.

More than 7,100 people in the Capital have been infected by the dengue virus, with 5,600 cases recorded in November alone, according to a civic report released on Monday.

Delhi recorded 4,431 cases of dengue in 2016, 4,726 in 2017, 2,798 in 2018, 2,036 in 2019 and 1,072 cases in 2020, the report also showed. (HT File)

Delhi recorded a cumulative of 5,277 dengue cases on November 15, making it the highest number of infections recorded in the city in a year since 2015. The Capital recorded at least 1,850 fresh cases last week but no deaths were reported due to the vector-borne disease.

The civic report showed that 7,128 dengue cases were reported until November 20.

Delhi recorded 4,431 cases of dengue in 2016, 4,726 in 2017, 2,798 in 2018, 2,036 in 2019 and 1,072 cases in 2020, the report also showed.

There were a large number of people who contracted dengue in the city in 2015 when the number of cases crossed 10,600 in October making it the worst dengue outbreak since 1996.

Doctors and health department officials said that Delhi will see a downward trend in dengue cases as temperatures dip due to the oncoming winter season. A health official from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which is also the nodal agency for data collection related to the vector-borne disease, told HT on Sunday that there is a dip in breeding metrics and mosquito density.

“The anopheles and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes prefer temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. Once the temperature drops to about 20°C, they become less active in the open and cannot function at temperatures below 10°C,” the official said.

Hospitals have also said that dengue cases have dropped over the past week-and-a-half. A doctor from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi told HT that the number of dengue patients admitted in the hospital has come down from 70-80 patients three weeks ago to less than 10 now.

Health experts have, however, asked people to look out for stagnant water in their vicinity for mosquito breeding and take other precautions against dengue.