705 new dengue cases reported over last week

New Delhi: With 705 new cases of dengue being reported in the national Capital over the last week, the total number of people affected by the disease has reached to 8063 this season, according to a municipal report released on Monday. The number of people affected by malaria this year till November 11 has climbed to 1106 while the figure for Chikungunya stands at 885 with 27 new cases reported previous week.

A total of four deaths have been confirmed by the municipal corporations due to dengue. In a recent incident, 26-year-old Moajeba, a resident of Delhi's Arbindo Marg died at Max Super Specialty Hospital. Earlier, 26-year-old Manipuri woman Rhoda Daimai, who was living in south Delhi's Sarita Vihar, had died at Holy Family Hospital in August, while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue shock syndrome on September 2 at the SGRH and 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season," according to civic authorities.

According to the SDMC, mosquito breeding has been reported from 203183 households in Delhi this year till November 11 and 165126 legal notices have been issued for mosquitogenic condition so far.

However, a senior Corporation's official said that all the measures were being taken to reduce breeding. "Besides, awareness is also being spread among masses by using various means," he said.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. This year, however, it was much earlier. Dengue and Chikungunya are caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. The female Anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water. At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year from various city hospitals, including nine at AIIMS, though the official figure of the civic bodies stood at 10.