Two top Indian cyclists fall victim to dengue

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: The Indian cycling contingent for Commonwealth Games suffered another blow after two top cyclists, Somvir and Vinod Malik, contracted dengue. Both the cyclists are now undergoing treatment at Karol Bagh`s Jessa Ram Hospital. The worst part is that the cycling team, which is still waiting for competition-class bicycles to arrive from England, also have no team doctors with them. It was learnt that the two could have been detected with the disease had the Sports Authority of India (SAI) arranged for a doctor for the cycling team. The two cyclists are among the top performers in the Indian cycling team. In fact, Somvir topped the last two trials held this month in Patiala and Delhi. In the capital since August 17, the cyclists have been without a doctor. Meanwhile, dengue cases increased alarmingly in the national capital as 59 more patients tested positive for the vector-borne disease, taking the total number of people being affected by it to 800. The national capital has recorded two confirmed and three suspected dengue deaths this season. According to MCD, there are 59 new cases since yesterday. Among the total 800 cases so far, 676 have been reported from MCD areas, 91 from NDMC areas and the rest were from other parts of the city and outstation cases. Among the fresh cases, the highest 14 have come from MCD Civil Lines Zone followed by Central Zone (12). The MCD said it has deployed additional staff to tackle the situation in the worst-hit Central and South Delhi, from where 271 cases have been reported so far. It is also maintaining round-the-clock surveillance near all the Commonwealth Games venues, Municipal Commissioner KS Mehra said. According to statistics released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the number of cases till this time in 2009 were only four. The figure was 67 and 17 in the same periods in 2008 and 2007 respectively. Authorities are more worried about the spread of dengue as the city will host the Games in October, a month which generally sees high prevalence of the disease. According to the MCD, in the previous years, the number of dengue cases and deaths were 1,153 and 3 (2009), 1,312 and 2 (2008), 548 and 1 (2007) and 3,366 and 36 (2006).