Delhi: Spike in dengue, malaria; SDMC report states 476 cases reported

According to a municipal report released on October 14, the national capital Delhi has witnessed a high rise in the cases of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. The report stated that in the past one week alone, at least 111 such cases were reported taking the toll to 467 in this year itself. The reported also stated that 459 cases of malaria were reported till October 12 whereas October alone witnessed 185 cases of dengue and 190 cases in the month of September. 

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SDMC releases vector-borne diseases data

According to the data collected by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), till October 12, the national capital has witnessed 91 cases of malaria in this month alone while September saw 214 cases. The city recorded massive 365 cases of dengue out of which 111 were reported in the past week itself. A sharp rise has been witnessed in the number of cases of dengue as the number rose from 18 in July to 52 in August. Similarly, the cases for malaria also witnessed a rise as the number of cases reported in August was 56 higher than June which witnessed 35 cases and only one case was reported in April. The number of malaria cases has clearly exceeded dengue cases, however, for the past several weeks, the number of dengue cases has spiked and gripped the national capital. According to the data tabulated by SDMC, at least 118 cases of chikungunya have also been reported this year. The report also revealed that 2,798 dengue cases and 4 deaths were witnessed last year in Delhi apart from the 473 cases of malaria and 165 cases of chikungunya.

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72 institutions penalised for breeding of mosquito larvae in premises

The Delhi government has been taking stringent measures to combat these vector-borne diseases and has also been making efforts to prevent breeding of mosquito larvae. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has also initiated an anti-dengue campaign called the ''10Hafte, 10Baje, 10Minute'' campaign urging people to inspect their house for any stagnant water. The campaign which began from September 1 and is expected to go on till November 15 also received tremendous support from Bollywood actors and several personalities including Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev. Around 72 institutions, including public schools and government office premises, have been penalised by civic authorities in north Delhi in the last five months for breeding of mosquito larvae in their premises, officials stated earlier.

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(With PTI Inputs)