Dengue: Civic bodies intensify fogging drives; say enough stock of insecticides, medicines

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) Amid a spike in dengue cases, the three civic bodies here have intensified their fogging and spraying drives, even as officials claimed that there was "enough stock" of insecticides and medicines to combat the vector-borne diseases.

The national capital has seen a surge in dengue cases in the last two weeks, with the first death due to it was reported on Monday.

According to a civic report on vector-borne diseases released on Monday, one death due to dengue, and a total of 723 dengue cases have been recorded this season till October 16, which is highest case count since 2018 for the same period.

Of the total count of dengue cases recorded in Delhi this year, 382 have been reported this month till October 16, which amount to nearly 52 per cent of the cumulative cases.

All three municipal corporation, NDMC, SDMC and EDMC, have intensified their campaign to tackle rising cases of dengue in the city.

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggrawal on Friday held a meeting with senior officials of the public health department regarding the dengue situation, officials said.

The mayor ordered deployment of three jetting machines each in both the zones of the EDMC, from the DEMS (department of environment management services) for spraying anti-larval medicine in drains and over stagnated water in the area.

Considering the gravity of the situation, there is a need to make maximum use of the available resources, he said.

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Thursday had said it had suspended all surgeries except those for deliveries at its Swami Dayanand Hospital due to the rising number of dengue patients at the facility.

Aggrawal said there is continuous fogging in the area but there is also rise in cases of dengue which is why he has directed teams to spray larvicides in drains, and increase the frequency of fogging, adding that senior officers should ensure availability of medicines for fogging and spraying as well.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Jogi Ram Jain said, "we are stocked up well in all six zones".

"Only the central store at the Civic Centre had zero stock of medicines (insecticides) as reported yesterday. Other stores in zones are stocked up for at least 2-3 weeks, and we will procure more as the need arises" he claimed.

Jain said the NDMC stores have enough stock of insecticides used for fogging or spraying purposes, as well as medicines used for treatment of patients suffering from malaria or other generic ailments.

"Our staff are carrying out intensive fogging in all areas, including JJ colonies and slums, and on an average fogging is being done twice in an area in a week," he added.

Senior officials at the South Delhi Municipal Corporation also claimed that "enough medicine stock" was available to tackle malaria, dengue and other vector-borne diseases.

Insecticides and larvicides used for fogging and spraying are also in enough stock for this season, officials said.

Chairman of Standing Committee of EDMC, Beer Singh Panwar said dengue can be controlled by a solid action plan and collective efforts.

He directed that 'nala beldars' should be given proper training by the department, so they can been engaged in prevention of vector-borne diseases.

Singh suggested that help of ASHA workers can also be taken for fever surveillance in the areas.

The single death due to dengue reported in city so far, was of a woman, aged about 35, who lived in Metro Colony in Sarita Vihar area of south Delhi.

Hours after the reporting of the first death due to dengue from an area under its jurisdiction, the public health department of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation had taken vector-control measures in the Metro Colony area, and the locality had been kept "under surveillance by field staff".

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive outbreak of dengue, when the number of such cases reported has crossed 10,600 in October itself, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996. PTI KND AKM TDS TDS