71 dengue, 76 chikungunya cases in Delhi

Mosquito-borne diseases are again rearing their heads in the national capital with 71 cases of dengue and 76 of chikungunya having been reported this monsoon.

Mosquito-borne diseases are again rearing their heads in the national capital with 71 cases of dengue and 76 of chikungunya having been reported this monsoon.

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"We have recorded 71 cases of dengue and 76 of chikungunya this season, but the number is really low in comparison to last year, when over 300 cases were reported in the same period," said Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri.

"So far, our health officials have sent notices to 61,421 houses and fined some 13,213 for breeding mosquitoes," Shastri told reporters.

He said Rohini, Wazirabad and Najafgarh areas of the city had reported the maximum number of cases.

"We have deployed 3,500 health officials this year, instead of 1,100 officials, to carry out survey in houses, offices and public places. We are absolutely certain that the disease is under control, but residents need to take extra caution," Shastri said.

Dengue and chikungunya are caused from the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clean but stagnant water.