NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has not released reports on dengue and other vector-borne diseases for the past several weeks, even as a senior civic official claimed that it is 'doing its regular job' to contain their spread and the 'situation is under control' at present.
The tally of dengue cases recorded in the national capital till August 5 stood at 348, according to a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) report released on August 7. The MCD, otherwise, releases weekly reports on cases of vector-borne diseases every Monday. However, in the past several weeks, the reports have not been issued.
“We have not received reports from the office of the municipal health officer, so we will share as soon as we receive it,” the senior civic official said. Asked about the number of cases of dengue reported so far, he said that 'the situation is under control' at present.
“The MCD is doing its regular job, fogging is happening in colonies and domestic breeding checking (DBC) workers are doing their rounds to keep dengue cases in check,” he claimed.
Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the chief secretary and the city’s health department have been directed to hold a 'big' campaign to create awareness about the spread of dengue.
“The most effective and easiest way to protect oneself from dengue is to be aware of its spread and prevent mosquito breeding in one’s surroundings. The ‘10 Hafte-10 Baje-10 Minute’ campaign will be run on a big level,” he had told reporters.
On being asked as to why the data of dengue cases in Delhi has not been made public, he said, “We have asked the MCD to share the data of dengue cases in the city.”
“It is the job of the civic agency to share data with the health department according to protocols,” Bharadwaj had said. According to the August 7 MCD report, 85 malaria cases were recorded in the January 1-August 5 period. The number of dengue cases reported in July stood at 121, 40 in June and 23 in May.