Delhi second worst affected by Chikungunya, Karnataka tops list

Delhi is a remote second with 1,724 reported cases till September 11, the last day to which data are available with the Union ministry of health and family welfare.

The chikungunya outbreak in Delhi has grabbed headlines, but it accounts for just 11% of India’s 14,656 cases.

35-year-old Chikungunya patient Sangeeta waits with her three-year-old daughter Anshika outside the emergency ward at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Friday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Karnataka tops the list of the worst hit states with 9,427 reported cases.

Delhi is a remote second with 1,724 reported cases till September 11, the last day to which data is available with the Union ministry of health and family welfare.

“There are no deaths listed because to date, there have been no recorded deaths in India. Some hospitals in Delhi have been reporting chikungunya-related deaths, which haven’t been confirmed by the state. Once they are, they will be added to the national list,” said a ministry official who did not want to be named.

India’s worst outbreak was in 2006, when 1.39 million cases were reported in 151 districts in eight states, but there were no recorded deaths.

“In older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death,” says the World Health Organisation, yet in India chikungunya has never been listed as a cause of death before.

Twelve of the 15 people who died of chikungunya-related complications in Delhi hospitals were over 60 years old.

“Even in people with well-controlled diabetes, those who get chikungunya infection show up with very high blood sugar levels, which leads to complications if the spike is not tracked and treated,” says Dr Ashok Kumar Jhingan, chairman, Delhi Diabetes Research Centre in Rajouri Garden.