31 cases of dengue reported in Delhi till July 2

New Delhi, Jul 4: At least 31 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital this year with nearly half of them in the month of June, according to a municipal report released today. Three fresh cases of the vector-borne disease have been reported till July 2.

While May had witnessed six cases, June recorded 15, it said. Twenty-eight cases were reported till June 27. Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases, the worst in 20 years with the disease claiming 60 lives, as per municipal reports. In 1996, a severe outbreak of dengue had occurred in Delhi wherein about 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were reported.

In 2010, besides over 6,200 cases, only eight deaths were officially reported. The Commonwealth Games were held that year and massive construction works in the city was a major reason behind the spread of the disease. This year, dengue cases have been reported rather early and relatively in larger numbers.

Last year only six cases were reported in June, while July registered 36. Thirteen cases were reported till May and the total number of cases so far in the city is thus 31, a senior civic official said.

No case has been reported from any of the zones under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation while Najafgarh Zone of SDMC has recorded two cases and West and Central Zones a case each, said a senior official of SDMC, which compiles dengue report on behalf of all the civic bodies in the city.

SDMC has reported four cases overall while East Delhi Municipal Corporation has recorded one. Of the total number of cases this year, three were reported from areas outside the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations. While nine cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh, one of those diagnosed with the disease came from Haryana, and 13 of them came from other states. The number of houses where breeding of mosquitoes were found are –- 7,853 (NDMC), 21,764 (SDMC) and 3,138 (EDMC).

And, number of prosecution launched respectively in these areas were -- 376, 976 and 132, the report said. As part of its preventive measure against the deadly disease, NDMC had last month launched a drive and sought to popularise the use of a specially-made cooler and the plant Agave Americana.

Also, the Union Health Ministry last week had decided that dengue patients hailing from towns in the National Capital Region seeking treatment in Delhi hospitals will be registered separately this year so that they are not clubbed with local patients.

PTI