Delhi recorded over 1,800 dengue cases last week; overall tally crosses 7,100

Of the total cases, 5,591 were recorded in November. The cases of dengue usually start increasing in July after the monsoon and peak in October. The number of cases goes down by November when temperatures start dipping

New Delhi recorded over 1,800 cases of the mosquito-borne infection dengue in the week ending November 20, taking the tally to 7,128, according to the weekly report released by the municipal corporations on Monday. This is the highest number of infections the city has reported since 2015 when dengue infected nearly 16,000 people and claimed 60 lives.

An East Delhi Municipal Council (EDMC) worker fumigates amid a dengue scare at Pandav Nagar market area in New Delhi, India. (HT file photo)

Of the total cases, 5,591 were recorded in November. The cases of dengue usually start increasing in July after the monsoon showers and peak in October. The number of cases goes down by November when the temperatures start dipping.

Officials from the corporations, which are responsible for implementing breeding control measures, say the intermittent, heavy rainfall well into September could be the reason for high cases reported in November as well.

The aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit dengue breed in clean, stagnant water. The rainfall in the city provides a fertile ground for the mosquito to breed in addition to utensils of water, birdbath, and bamboo plants within households.

The disease has killed nine people in the city this year. The toll is just short of the 10 reported in 2016 and 2017 when the city reported over 4,000 cases.

The number of cases is high this year, likely due to the government notification mandating all hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and diagnostic centre to report cases of dengue, malaria, and chikungunya.

“Of the total number of cases reported this week, 25-30% of the cases are from the last two months and are only now being reported by healthcare facilities. There has been an increase in reporting since the disease was made notifiable,” an official from the health department said last week.