27 dengue cases in Delhi over the last week, likely to go up

The report also said that a total of 163 dengue cases have been reported so far this year — the highest for this period over the last six years

With parts of the city battling waterlogging and flooding over the last week, Delhi has reported 27 cases of dengue in the weekly cycle ending on July 15, the routine vector-borne disease report issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said.

Public health department officials of the civic body said that as the water recedes in the low-lying areas, the residents would be vulnerable to vector-borne diseases over the next weeks. (HT Archive)

The report also said that a total of 163 dengue cases have been reported so far this year — the highest for this period over the last six years.

Public health department officials of the civic body said that as the water recedes in the low-lying areas, the residents would be vulnerable to vector-borne diseases over the next weeks, with the mosquito breeding cycle lasting around eight to 10 days. The MCD report shows that the number of mosquito breeding sites detected by its field workers have gone up from 8,742 and 8,889 over the preceding two weeks ago to 12,495 this week.

The report said that the current level of dengue cases so far is highest over the last six years. For the corresponding period in the previous years, Delhi had reported 158 cases in 2022, 40 cases in 2021, 28 in 2020, 32 in 2019 and 43 in 2018. However, public health department officials said that the increase can also be attributed to the disease being declared as a “notifiable disease” under the Epidemic Diseases Act last year.

A senior public health department official said that while the rise in the dengue cases is not high, people should remain cautious of the dengue-causing Aedes mosquitoes. Delhi government has announced its vector-borne disease control action plan for this year which includes the deployment of drones for mosquito surveillance and control in vulnerable areas, using existing 1031 helpline number which used during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate dengue treatment. The government has also raised the fine levels for violations and is using the services of Accredited Social Health Activists (Ashas) to raise awareness about dengue prevention and mosquito breeding.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi and health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj visited Swami Dayanand Hospital and issued directions to ensure special arrangements for the treatment of dengue patients.

Oberoi said that this year Delhi has witnessed heavier rainfall compared to previous years, which increased the risk of water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases. “Delhi government and the MCD are fully alert and initiated preparations to tackle the situation. We are conducting anti-mosquito spraying in the flood-affected areas,” she added.

Meanwhile, Bharadwaj said that the domestic breeding checker (DBC) staff have been assigned to conduct door-to-door checks for mosquito larvae. “Officials have also been instructed to conduct surprise inspections of at least five houses in their respective areas to ensure preventive measures are in place to control larval breeding. Schools have been directed to educate children about mosquito-borne diseases, and specific assignments related to dengue will be given to students. The government aims to raise awareness about dengue through the “10 Hafte-10 Baje-10 Minute” campaign,” he added.