Delhi on verge of a dengue outbreak?

Delhi is witnessing an all time high in the number of dengue cases with the figure touching 599 on October 1. The Capital is almost on the verge of a dengue outbreak though the officials concerned refused to admit it openly.

Delhi is witnessing an all time high in the number of dengue cases with the figure touching 599 on October 1.

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The Capital is almost on the verge of a dengue outbreak though the officials concerned refused to admit it openly.

“The situation is bad, but we can’t call it an outbreak,” said an official from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), a body that compiles the data of affected patients in the city. The civic agency has reported two deaths due to dengue in the city so far.

CHECKLIST

Simple dengue fever Headache, pain in muscles and joints Pain behind eyeballs Weakness, loss of appetite & nausea Pain in abdomen Sore throat, rashes Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever Bleeding from nose/gums Blood in stool or while vomiting Bleeding spots on the skin Dengue Shock Syndrome Restlessness Cold and clammy skin despite high fever Loss of consciousness Weak and rapid pulse rate Low blood pressure

The seriousness of the situation can be estimated by the fact that last year the civic body had reported 95 cases of dengue by this time.

September and October are considered to be the peak time for dengue. By the end of October, the figures are going to shoot up further, said MCD officials.

“This is the peak time and we are getting confirmation of about 25 dengue cases every day since the last few days,” informed Dr N.K. Yadav, Medical Health Officer (MHO) at MCD.

Najafgarh zone has reported the highest number of dengue cases that stands at 82 followed by Shahdara (N) that has reported 71 cases so far. Out of the 599 cases reported till now, 598 are from Delhi and one is from outside the state.

The primary reason for such an abnormal rise in dengue patients, according to the experts, is the erratic monsoon pattern that the city has witnessed this year.

“We can’t control the climactic conditions. The temperature this summer, as compared to last year, has been low, giving conducive environment to dengue-causing mosquitoes to breed,” said Yadav.

The MHO says even the higher number of testing centres — there were just 11 last year as against 34 centres this year — has helped in detecting many more cases.

Meanwhile, the MCD has intensified its anti-dengue drive, especially in areas where excessive breeding has been reported. Hospitals in the city said there was no reason to panic.