Dengue sting: Two more deaths in Delhi, 5220 cases

New Delhi:  Two more persons, including a 26 -year-old Manipuri woman, have succumbed to dengue in the national capital, even as the number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this season has mounted to 5,220, according to a municipal report released today.

With the two deaths reported, the toll from dengue in Delhi has risen to three. The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city this year, when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndrome at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) on August 1.

Rhoda Daimai, who was living in south Delhi’s Sarita Vihar died on August 27 of septicaemia and other ensuing complications while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue shock syndrome on September 2, the report said.

Civic bodies said Daimai was a resident of a village in Manipur and had come to Delhi seeking treatment while Meena lived in Karawal Nagar in east Delhi. While Meena also died at the SGRH, Rhoda succumbed at the Holy Family Hospital.

The number of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded in the city till October 14 at 1062 and 683 respectively, the report by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city, said.

Of the total 5,220 dengue cases, 2564 were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other states. Of the 2,564 Delhi cases, 757 were reported this month, it said. Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. This year, however, it has been much earlier.
Doctors attribute this to an early monsoon.

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 4,78,978 households in Delhi. All the three municipal corporations in the city have stepped up awareness drives, distributing pamphlets and plying vehicles with loudspeakers announcing dos and don’ts for prevention.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city has banned over-the-counter sale of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin and Brufen as their use may “pose a threat” to dengue and chikungunya patients. 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 were reported till December 24, 2016. Of these, 9,749 were confirmed.