Dengue sting: Two more deaths in Delhi, total cases touch 5,220

The recent report has registered a total of 675 cases of dengue in a single week, taking the total number of cases reported from Delhi hospitals to 5,220.

Two more dengue patients died in Delhi hospitals, taking the total death toll this year to three, according to the weekly data released by the municipal corporations. The report added that the total number of dengue cases in Delhi hospitals this year has touched 5,220.

The recent report has registered a total of 675 cases of dengue in a single week, taking the total number of cases reported from Delhi hospitals to 5,220. (AFP)

Of the three deaths this year, only one person was a resident of Delhi – 12-year-old Nitish Kumar, who died of circulatory shock and multi-organ failure at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on August 1.

The two other patients who died were residents of Manipur and Bihar. Rhoda Dimai, a 26-year-old woman from Manipur, died of septecaemia, a severe blood infection. She had low platelet count and her body was producing excessive acid when she died on August 27 at Holy Family hospital.

Meena Devi, 49-year-old woman from Bihar, died from circulatory shock caused by dengue and multi-organ failure at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on August 27.

All three deaths that were reported in August were included in the report for the week ending on October 14 after verification by the death report committee.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had said last week that it was the efforts of the Delhi government – awareness campaigns, involvement of resident welfare associations and school children in checking breeding – has resulted in fewer cases this year.

The report also shows that a total of 1,062 cases of malaria have been reported by Delhi hospitals this year. But, no deaths have been reported. This is in comparison to 593 cases and 17 “probable deaths” attributed to malaria last year.

Chikungunya numbers have remained low this year, with a total of 683 reported cases, of which 392 cases of infection were among Delhi residents. This is in comparison to 5,978 cases of chikungunya that had been reported during the same period in 2016, which was an outbreak year for Delhi.