Delhi: Dip in number of dengue cases recorded this week

A total of 486 cases were recorded this week, as compared to 705 the week before. The numbers are expected to continue falling, say experts.

Dry and cold weather led to dengue numbers last week registering the sharpest fall of more than 200 cases over the week before.

The aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue and chikungunya. (HT File)

The numbers are expected to continue falling, say experts, with the sporadic rain in some parts of Delhi-NCR last week projected to have no effect.

A total of 486 cases were recorded during the week, with 187 cases in residents of Delhi, as compared to 705 recorded the week before.

“The dip in the number of cases recorded in a single week is indicative of the fact that the activity of the mosquitoes causing the disease is going down with the dropping temperature. Every year we see a downward trend during this time and the cases stop coming in completely by the end of November and beginning of December,” said a health official from the Municipal Corporation.

The number of cases reached its peak during the third week of September when 894 cases of dengue were recorded in a single week. During the same period last year, only 220 cases of dengue had been recorded.

The 486 cases recorded in the week ending on November 18 takes the total number of dengue cases treated in Delhi hospitals to 8,549. Of these, a little over half the cases – 4,375 – were Delhi residents. The rest had come to Delhi for treatment from neighbouring states.

A total of only 4,065 cases had been recorded during the same time last year, when Delhi saw an outbreak of chikungunya, another viral disease spread by the same aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Even though the number of cases was less last year, the number of deaths was higher. According to data, 10 people died of dengue last year as compared to four deaths recorded till date this year, of which three were people who were not Delhi residents.

The Delhi government claims that this is because of the timely awareness efforts of the government.

The government has also reported a higher 1,111 cases of malaria as compared to 617 cases recorded last year during the same time. The weekly report also showed that 878 cases of chikungunya have been recorded till November 18 as compared to 7,435 cases recorded during the same period last year during the chikungunya outbreak.