54 new dengue cases on Wednesday, highest so far

Incessant rain in the city for the last one week has resulted in an alarming rise in the number of dengue cases. Last four days alone have seen 169 new cases of dengue being reported, which is 25 per cent higher than what was reported the whole of last week. HT reports.

Incessant rain in the city for the last one week has resulted in an alarming rise in the number of dengue cases. Last four days alone have seen 169 new cases of dengue being reported, which is 25 per cent higher than what was reported the whole of last week.

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On Wednesday, 54 new cases were reported, which is the highest in a single day so far. The total number of affected people has reached 550 with one death.

According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) data, the number of cases till this time in 2009 was only three.

The figure was 63 and 15 during the same periods in 2008 and 2007 respectively.

Though the civic body has said there were one confirmed and three suspected dengue deaths this season, private hospitals are giving a much higher figure.

South and central Delhi areas were the worst-affected with the number of patients coming from the areas having reached 100 and 90 respectively. If the figures given by private hospitals are taken into account, every day 50 to 100 suspected dengue patients from Jamia Nagar, Batla House and other nearby areas are being admitted there.

Among the total 550 cases so far, 446 have been reported from MCD areas, 73 from NDMC areas and the rest were from other parts of the city and outstation cases.

The MCD said it has deployed additional staff to tackle the situation in Central and South Delhi, and is also maintaining round-the-clock surveillance near all the Commonwealth Games venues.

According to the MCD, in the previous years, the number of dengue cases and deaths were 1,153 and 3 (2009), 1,312 and 2(2008), 548 and 1 (2007) and 3,366 and 36 (2006).