Dengue outbreak in Delhi: With 129 new cases, tally crosses 500-mark

New Delhi: Nearly 130 people have been diagnosed with dengue in the last few days, taking the tally of vector-borne disease in the city to over 500 so far this year.

The spurt in dengue cases comes in the wake of heavy rains over the past few days in the capital.

According to a report released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday, 281 cases have been reported this month alone till September 21.

The city had recorded 396 dengue cases till September 17. In the last few days, 129 fresh cases have been reported, it said.

Of the 525 total cases recorded till September 21 this year, 75 were reported in August.

It is also the highest number of dengue cases logged during the January 1-September 21 period since 2017, when the corresponding figure was 1,807.

No death has been reported so far this year due to the disease.

A total of 106 cases of malaria and 20 cases of chikungunya have also been reported this year in Delhi till September 21, the report said.

The MCD in a statement later said it has conducted a drive to check the spread of dengue.

A total of 1,027 construction sites were checked as part of it of which mosquito breeding was found at 257 sites, it said.

Prominent construction sites where breeding was found include sites of ITPO, Pragati Madan; Sports Authority of India, Dwarka; SAARC University, Maidangarhi; DMRC, Dakhinpuri, DDA housing complex, Sector 19 Dwarka; and Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, it said.

The MCD's Public Health Department took action against owners or contractors of the sites by issuing 135 legal notices and 97 challans. Apart from this, prosecution was also launched against authorities linked to 69 sites. Action against owners, contractors of the sites was taken under DMC (Malaria & VBD)/Bye-laws 1975, the statement said.

The department also urged people for their active participation for prevention and control of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya.

Amid the continuous spurt in dengue cases, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday had said a plan has been devised to combat the vector-borne disease.

In coming days, several steps will be taken and school students will be involved in a big way in the efforts made to check the spread of dengue, he said.

The chief minister had held a meeting with senior officials of the health department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and other departments on Saturday.

A senior MCD official had earlier said the rising cases of dengue was a "matter of concern" and "we are working on measures to combat it".

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, sometimes stretching till mid-December.

Civic officials said dengue cases were recorded earlier than usual this year due to weather conditions congenial for mosquito breeding.

Last year, 9,613 dengue cases were recorded in the city, the highest since 2015, along with 23 deaths -- the maximum since 2016.

According to the MCD report, the city recorded 23 dengue cases in January, 16 in February, 22 in March, 20 in April, 30 in May, 32 in June and 26 in July.

In 2018, Delhi had reported 481 dengue cases during the January 1-September 21 period, according to the report. The figures in 2019, 2020 and 2021 were -- 282, 212 and 273, respectively.

Ten deaths each were reported due to dengue in 2016 and 2017, four in 2018 and two in 2019.

According to official data, 4,431 dengue cases were recorded in Delhi in 2016, 4,726 in 2017, 2,798 in 2018, 2,036 in 2019 and 1,072 in 2020.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive dengue outbreak, with the number of cases crossing 10,600 in October. It was Delhi's worst dengue outbreak since 1996.