NEW DELHI: The number of dengue cases is on a steady rise in the national capital, as per the weekly report released by the municipal corporation on Monday. A total of 22 dengue cases were reported in the month of March. Total 61 cases have been reported in 2022 so far, the highest since 2017. Civic bodies in the city are coming up with detailed action plans to step up the fight against the outbreak.
Six cases of dengue have been reported in the last one week in Delhi. Till March 26 this year, 55 cases of dengue were recorded in the city. The capital had reported 23 cases in January, 16 in February and 22 in March. No cases have been recorded this month till April 2. For the January 1-April 2 period, seven cases were logged last year, six cases each in 2020 and 2019, while 12 cases were logged in 2018 and 13 in 2017, the report stated.
The usual pattern of spiked cases of the vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December this year. Last year, Delhi had recorded 9,613 dengue cases and 23 fatalities, making it the second-worst annual outbreak on record.
Municipal corporations in the city said they are preparing a detailed action plan to tackle the menace of vector-borne diseases. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Monday said that it has prepared an annual action plan in compliance with directions of the Delhi High Court to control the spread of dengue in its jurisdiction.
Officials said that there is a short-term plan to deal with the outbreak this year while there is a long-term plan for each month for next year, which coincides with lean transmission period to peak transmission period, where timely execution of control and preventive measures have been specified.
“Based on last year’s data of the number of cases in each area, high-risk municipal wards have been earmarked for a more focused approach in prevention and control measures. Also, greater awareness is being spread about the same,” said a senior official.
New initiatives including active community participation through PPP with RWAs of group housing societies and others have been started. To bring better vector-control coverage, six jet machines mounted on vehicles will be purchased for fogging, the official said.
