Chikungunya cases mount to 1057, nearly 90% rise in one week

New Delhi: Chikungunya cases in the national capital has sharply risen to over 1,000 this season, marking a jump of nearly 90 per cent from its count last week.

According to a municipal report released today, at least 1,057 cases of this vector-borne disease have been recorded till September 10.

September and October are considered the peak season for the spread of vector-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria.

Safdarjung Hospital which received over a thousand patients in its fever clinics till recently, has reported 328 dengue cases and 532 chikungunya cases this season, a senior official of the hospital told PTI.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) which compiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf of all civic bodies here, had till September 3, pegged the total number of chikungunya cases this season at 560.

Hospitals in the city continue to be swamped by patients affected by dengue and chikungunya.

Besides, malaria too has claimed two lives this season and at least 21 people in Delhi have been diagnosed with malarial fever.

At AIIMS, which gets blood test samples from several cities, including from Delhi and neighbouring regions, hundreds of chikungunya samples have been tested positive.

"At our laboratories, 885 chikungunya blood test samples have tested positive in the last two months (July-August). Cases are rising and more and more people are getting affected," Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS said.

The 497 fresh cases of chikungunya reported in the last week amounts to a rise of nearly 90 per cent from its count by the civic body on September 3.

Out of the total cases this season, 202 has been recored in south Delhi, followed by 148 in north Delhi and 57 in east Delhi, the report said.

For SDMC, which reported the highest number of people diagnosed with chikugunya, its four zone recorded cases as follows -- West (56), Central (57), South (56) and Najafgarh (33).

540 cases have been recorded from areas outside the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations.

110 cases of chikungunya have been reported from outside of Delhi, the report said.

According to SDMC, 64 cases of chikungunya were reported last year.