Dengue cases in Delhi double in a week

A total of 348 dengue cases have been reported in the city this year, with 121 cases in July, 40 in June and 23 in May.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area has also seen a rise in the number of dengue cases reported this year. It has reported 32 cases so far, out of which 15 cases were in the first week of August. In 2022 and 2021, three dengue cases were reported in the NDMC area till the first week of August.

The Delhi Cantt area has also reported 19 cases of dengue this year, and seven cases were reported in the first week of August.

Cases of malaria have also seen an uptick with 13 cases being reported in the first week of August. A total of 16 cases were reported in the whole month of August last year.

According to MCD officials, the dengue-malaria strain is hitting the national capital early this year due to the recent floods.

The MCD conducted 973 blood slide examinations in the past week and 1,142 examinations were conducted the week before. Approximately 46,000 houses have been sprayed in the last week while over 56,000 houses were sprayed in the week before that. The number of house visits to check domestic breeding of mosquitoes has also reduced from 9.5 lakh visits to 5.7 lakh last week, data shows.

“Due to heavy rains in Delhi, the risk of dengue, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases has increased… the MCD has intensified the drive across the city to prevent and control vector-borne diseases,” said an MCD official.