Only 1/10th dengue cases reported this year, say civic agencies

With 16 more cases reported on the weekend, the total number of dengue cases in Delhi has crossed the 400 mark.

With 16 more cases reported on the weekend, the total number of dengue cases in Delhi has crossed the 400 mark.

Four people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old boy, have succumbed to the disease that has affected 424 people in the city so far this season.

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Though the number of cases reported this season is nearly one-tenth the last year’s mark, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have advised people against becoming complacent. "We still appeal to people to be cautious and not allow mosquitoes to breed anywhere in and around their houses," said Dr VK Monga, chairman, MCD’s public health committee.

The civic agencies are keeping special checks on schools and offices in the city. “This is the peak season and we expect almost double the number of cases before the disease dies out completely. Special care is being taken to check mosquito breeding in schools because we are putting lives of children at risk and also in offices as thousands of people work together at any given time,” said Dr Monga.

The mosquito-borne disease usually peaks in the months of October and November before dying with the onset of winter season.