Dengue still strong but staff contract ends

With dengue cases showing no signs of abating and the contract of 3,500 domestic breeding checkers (DCBs) ending on Thursday, the national Capital, which is already grappling with mosquito menace, is in for a major trouble.

With dengue cases showing no signs of abating and the contract of 3,500 domestic breeding checkers (DCBs) ending on Thursday, the national Capital, which is already grappling with mosquito menace, is in for a major trouble.

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The Capital is still getting an average of 15-20 cases daily and the total number now stands at 1,997. The disease has so far claimed four lives this season — three children and one woman.

According to doctors, the situation will continue as the temperatures have not dipped. “Though cases have gone down since September-October, the virus carrying mosquitoes are still there. It will take another 10-15 days for the vector-borne disease to come to an end,” said Dr SP Byotra, senior consultant, department of medicine at Sir Gangaram Hospital. Even positive dengue and malaria cases are being reported in government hospitals.

Meanwhile, Mahender Nagpal, leader of the House, North Delhi Municipal Corporation, wrote to health minister Dr AK Walia asking for funds to renew contracts of DBCs. The annual budget allocated by the Delhi government towards DBCs is about R4 crore. “The health department should sanction funds at the earliest. While dengue is not over, this abrupt ending of contracts will render 3,500 workers jobless," added Nagpal.