Delhi's dengue death toll rises to 17, case count crosses 9,400: Report

Two more deaths due to dengue have been reported in Delhi, taking the toll to 17 this year, according to a South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) report released on Monday.

The number of dengue deaths reported in the national capital this year is the highest since 2016, when the toll stood at 10.

The total number of dengue cases in the city has crossed 9,400, with about 150 cases recorded in the last week, the report said.

The dengue death toll, maintained by the SDMC, stood at 15 till December 11.

According to the report, a total of 9,414 dengue cases and 17 deaths had been recorded this season till December 18.

As many as 1,138 cases had been recorded this month till December 18, the report said.

In the previous years, the total dengue cases reported were 4,431 (2016), 4,726 (2017), 2,798 (2018), 2,036 (2019) and 1,072 (2020), it said.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive outbreak of dengue with the number of cases crossing 10,600 in October itself, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996.

The national capital recorded two deaths due to dengue in 2019, four in 2018, and 10 each in 2017 and 2016, according to official data.

On November 17, the city had recorded 5,277 dengue cases, making it the highest number of cases recorded since 2015. A total of 6,739 cases were recorded in November, the highest for a month this year and the highest for November in at least six years.

In September, 217 dengue cases were recorded, the highest for the month in three years.

Zero cases were recorded in January, two in February, five in March, 10 in April, 12 in May, seven in June, 16 in July and 72 in August, according to the report.

The number of cases reported for the January 1-December 18 period in the last five years was 1,062 (in 2020), 1,998 (2019), 2,798 (in 2018), 4,711 (2017) and 4,384 (2016), the report stated.

A total of 1,072 dengue cases and one death were recorded in 2020, it said.

Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clear, standing water, while those of malaria thrive even in dirty water.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December.