Delhi reports 753 more dengue cases; tally mounts to 6,623

New Delhi: With 753 new cases being reported over the last week, according to a Municipal report released on Monday, the total number of people affected of dengue has reached to 6,623 in the Capital this season. The number of people affected by Malaria this year has climbed to 1,082 in which 9 new cases recorded in a week while the figure for Chikungunya stands at 752 with 21 new cases reported previous week.

Recently, 26-year-old Moajeba, a resident of the Delhi's Arbindo Marg died at Max Super Specialty Hospital, taking the total tally to four till now. Earlier, 26-year-old Manipuri woman Rhoda Daimai, who was living in south Delhi's Sarita Vihar, had died at the 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 the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season," according to civic authorities.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city, however, has not acknowledged the fatalities at the LNJP Hospital and kept the official toll at four. However, a senior official of the Corporation said that the introduction of the concept of the dengue free cooler is an environment-friendly initiative and will be taken up at war footing to generate awareness among the people.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. This year, however, it has been 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.

According to the SDMC, mosquito breeding has been reported from 19. 62 lakh households in Delhi this year till October 28 and 1.59 lakh legal notices have been issued for mosquitogenic condition so far.

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.

Seventeen deaths, suspected to be due to malaria, were also reported by civic bodies last year. At least 15 fatalities were reported last year from various city hospitals due to complications triggered by chikungunya, though civic authorities kept the death tally at zero. One of the worst outbreaks of Chikungunya was in 2016 when 12,221 cases were reported till December 24, 2016. Of these, 9,749 were confirmed.

Experts have raised their concern after the resurgence of this deadly parasite.