Delhi: 21 cases of dengue, 35 of chikungunya in one week

A total of 61 dengue and 131 chikungunya have been reported from Delhi and neighbouring areas, according to the MCD data. The sudden increase in the number of cases being reported in the previous week could be because of the intermittent rains.

Twenty-one cases of dengue and 35 of chikungunya were reported in just one week from within Delhi, according to weekly data till June 3 that was released by the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) on Monday.

This year the mosquito-borne diseases were being reported since January, whereas these diseases usually start doing the rounds in June- July and peak in October-November. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

A total of 61 dengue and 131 chikungunya have been reported from Delhi and neighbouring areas, according to the data.

The sudden increase in the number of cases being reported in the previous week could be because of the intermittent rains.

“The intermittent rains during the last month could be the reason behind the increased numbers. Intermittent showers are worse than the regular rains during the monsoon. There is a higher chance of breeding of the aedes aegypti mosquito if the water in potholes and bottle-caps in trash is left undisturbed, continuous rain washes away the larvae,” according to a health department official.

This year the mosquito-borne diseases were being reported since January, whereas these diseases usually start doing the rounds in June- July and peak in October-November. Forty cases of dengue and 96 cases of chikungunya were recorded by the MCD till May-end.

The higher numbers are being attributed to better surveillance by the officials.

“The high numbers could be because of better surveillance of mosquito-borne diseases, especially chikungunya. Last year, nobody was expecting a chikungunya outbreak and it started getting reported only after hundreds of cases had poured into the hospitals. After that it was made a notifiable disease,” the official said.

The high number of cases was reported this year despite early intervention like awareness campaigns and breeding control measures were carried out by the Delhi government and the corporations.