29 dengue cases in Delhi this year till May 29

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Twenty-nine cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital much ahead of the season of the vector-borne disease, which is between July and November, according to a civic report released on Monday.

The count of dengue cases for the January 1 to May 29 period is also the highest this year since 2017 when the count had stood at 40 for the same duration.

The rise in cases could be attributed to the massive downpour in the city a few days ago.

A record 119.3 mm rainfall pounded Delhi under the impact of cyclonic storm Tauktae and a western disturbance on May 20, breaking all previous records for May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said.

This was double the previous record rainfall of 60 mm on May 24 in 1976.

Till May 22, the city had recorded 25 cases, which was the highest count for the January 1-May 22 period since 2013, as per official figures.

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.

According to the civic report issued by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), 29 cases of dengue have been recorded till May 29 this year.

The SDMC is the nodal agency which tabulates vector-borne disease reports for the entire city, The month-wise distribution of cases are -- January (0), February (2), March (5), April (10) and May (12), it said.

In the previous years, the cases in the same period were -- 13 (2016), 40 (2017), 22 (2018,), 11 (2019) and 19 (2020), according tor the report.

However, no deaths have been reported due to dengue in the city till now, it said.

The civic report released on Monday stated that eight cases of malaria and four cases of chikungunya have also been reported till May 29 this year, with no fresh cases being recorded in the last one week.

Malaria, dengue and chikungunya are accompanied with high fever and therefore, doctors feel that people might suspect that they have contracted COVID-19. PTI KND ANB ANB