New Delhi, Sep 10 (UNI) Even as the emergence of malaria and chikungunya cases have seen a six year low this time, a surge has been observed in dengue infections compared to last year in the national capital, official data from Delhi civic bodies released here on Friday said.
Delhi has observed a slight uptick in the number of dengue cases with 124 infections reported so far this year. The capital city had reported 94 cases of the vector-borne disease in the same period (January 1-September 4) last year. It had reported 122 cases in 2019, according to the data.
This year's tally is the highest since 2018 when the city saw 137 cases. No death has been reported so far this year, the data showed.
The highest number of cases in the last 6 years were registered in 2017 when it recorded 829 infections, while in 2016 it recorded 771 cases, as per the data.
Of the total cases this year, 72 have been reported in August, with the highest number from the South MCD, according to the data.
Meanwhile, cases of malaria recorded this year have been the lowest in the last six years with 57 cases being reported so far. Its prevalence (between January 1 and September 4) was 97 in 2020, 202 in 2019, 195 in 2018, 340 in 2017 and 264 in 2016, the official data stated.
Similar is the case with chikungunya. The vector-borne disease has infected 42 individuals this year. In the same duration, it had infected 42 people last year, 40 in 2019, 37 in 2018, 259 in 2017 and 560 in 2016, the data showed.
Vector-borne diseases are infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod vectors and Aedes mosquitoes being the major transmitter among them. Dengue is the most prevalent viral infection transmitted by this species of mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle, and joint pain, and a characteristic skin rash similar to measles.
Delhi hospitals have reported a spike in the cases of dengue. According to doctors, there has been a surge in the last five-seven days with many patients exhibiting symptoms of high fever and persistent cough.
"We are witnessing a sudden rise in the cases. The intensity was nominal till last week. It hasn't reached the extreme level yet but we will have to see how things unfold in the next two weeks," Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, department of internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said.
Doctors also attributed the higher amount of rainfall in Delhi compared to previous years for the rise in the number of dengue cases.
"There is a rise in the number of dengue cases, this is attributed to higher rainfall in the NCR region as compared to last year. Water collection in tyres, or containers lead to the breeding of mosquitoes of the Aedes species. The waterlogging and accumulation of rainwater in potholes must have been more frequent which could have been providing a breeding ground for the mosquito larvae," said Dr Harsh Bhardwaj, Chief Medical Officer, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
Chatterjee warned that as the monsoon does not seem to be winding up anytime soon, the cases of vector-borne infections are likely to go up. "Next few days are very important," he cautioned.
Meanwhile, Bhardwaj advised people to adopt preventive measures to minimise the possibility of catching the infection.
"We must prevent the collection of water and fumigation should be done to prevent mosquito breeding. People should also wear clothes covering their bodies properly to prevent being bitten by mosquito," he suggested.