Delhi records first deaths linked to dengue this year

While the health department committee is reviewing deaths of 13 other people, the exact dates of the two confirmed cases is not known.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has reported two deaths due to complications from dengue in the city — firsts this year. The total dengue tally currently in the city is 1,136.

Officials said that the anti-breeding measures were severely impacted due to the month-long strike by the health department’s multi-task staff (MTS).

“The two cases are a 9-year-old boy from Shalimar Bagh and a 48-year-old man from the Dilshad Garden. The death audit committee has confirmed that both these deaths occurred due to dengue,” said a senior official from the corporation’s health department.

While the health department committee is reviewing deaths of 13 other people, the exact dates of the two confirmed cases is not known. Officials said these are not recent deaths.

When a hospital reports a dengue or a malaria death, the committee audits all the documents related to the case to determine if the death was caused by the vector borne disease, and if the origin of the disease was Delhi. It is also analysed if a dengue-positive patient is a resident from a neighbouring state undergoing treatment in Delhi. Only those cases which originated in the city are officially counted as Delhi-based dengue deaths.

Delhi had recorded a total of 11 dengue deaths in 2024, 19 in 2023, 9 in 2022, and 23 in 2021.

Delhi had recorded a total of 11 dengue deaths in 2024, 19 in 2023, 9 in 2022, and 23 in 2021.

So far this year, MCD’s central zone reported the highest number of dengue cases at 125, followed by 103 in west zone, and 99 in Najafgarh zone, as per the MCD’s report.

The report also showed that the number of malaria cases recorded in the past week was 33, bringing the total number this year to 623. The number of Chikungunya cases recorded in the week was 13, while the total tally is at 133.

Further, officials said that the anti-breeding measures in the Capital were severely impacted due to the month-long strike by the health department’s multi-task staff (MTS).

The number of house visits to check for the breeding of mosquitoes was much lower in the past week than usual, at 71,148, with 528 breeding sites being detected.

In the week before the strike started, around 943,000 house visits were carried out, and 11,307 mosquito breeding sites were detected. The strike finally ended on November 2.