With more than 300 new infections reported in the first five days of October, dengue cases in Delhi are on the rise. As many as 693 cases were reported in September alone. The city has recorded more than 950 cases within last 45 days.
A total of 937 cases of dengue were logged this year till September-end, and 321 fresh cases were reported in the first five days of October, taking the tally of the vector-borne disease in the city to 1,258, according to a report released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday.
It is also the highest number of dengue cases logged during the January 1-October 5 period since 2017, when the corresponding figure was 2,564.
The city had experienced a significant dengue outbreak in 2015, with 10,600 cases reported in October. The dengue outbreak in Delhi was the worst since 1996.
The city reported 23 dengue cases in January, 16 in February, 22 in March, 20 in April, 30 in May, 32 in June, 26 in July, and 75 in August, according to the MCD report released on Monday.
No death has been reported so far this year due to the disease.
A total of 153 cases of malaria and 28 cases of chikungunya have also been reported this year in Delhi till October 5, the report said.
According to the MCD, campaigns have been held to stop the spread of dengue.
Many people with viral infections are exhibiting "overlapping symptoms" of Covid and the vector-borne disease during a spike in dengue cases in the national capital, leaving both patients and medical professionals uncertain about the precise diagnosis.
Dengue and malaria cases are typically reported between July and November, occasionally continuing into mid-December.
The symptoms of Covid, which also include fever or chills, muscle or body aches, fatigue, and headache among others, are quite similar to those of vector-borne diseases, which include high fever, headache, rash, and muscle and joint pain.
According to doctors, it has become challenging to determine whether or not a person experiencing fever, body aches, and headaches is positive for Covid in such circumstances.
Last year, 9,613 dengue cases were recorded in the city, the highest since 2015, along with 23 deaths -- the highest since 2016.
According to the MCD report, breeding of mosquito larvae has been found at 1,37,938 households this year till 5 October. Authorities have issued 99,849 legal notices for mosquitogenic conditions, and 37,726 prosecutions were launched.
According to the report, from January 1 to October 5, 2018, Delhi reported 830 dengue cases. The numbers were 467, 316, and 480 in 2019, 2020, and 2021, 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.
