After COVID-19, dengue stings Delhiites; city sees more cases than coronavirus in one week

From January to October 16 this year, a total of 723 dengue cases have been reported in Delhi, which, notably, is the highest case count since 2018 for that duration.

Representational Image (ANI)

New Delhi: After battling COVID-19 for months, Delhi is now fighting Dengue. As per official records, the national capital witnessed more cases of vector-borne disease than the COVID-19 infections in the last one week. 

While the city reported around 190 cases of coronavirus in the last one week, the dengue infections were recorded at 243. Delhi also saw its first death due to Dengue this year on Monday (October 18, 2021).

Not just this, from January to October 16 this year, a total of 723 dengue cases have been reported in Delhi, while there were 622 infections during the same time period in 2020. It, notably, is also the highest case count since 2018 for that duration.

According to a doctor at a hospital in Delhi, this year the dengue has majorly infected the children. More than half of the total dengue patients coming to the hospital are kids. Due to record-breaking dengue cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge has also increased for the doctors as both diseases have the same symptoms of high fever which make it difficult to detect.

Experts have advised Delhiites to keep clean water in their homes in an air-tight vessel. They have also asked to not let clean water accumulate in an open vessel. Water should also be changed every week and kids should wear full-sleeved clothes.

AAP and BJP spar over rise in dengue cases in Delhi

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a rise in dengue cases in Delhi, alleging that municipal corporations did not take timely preventive measures. Holding the BJP-ruled civic bodies responsible for the surge in cases, AAP MLA Atishi claimed that preventive measures like fogging and door-to-door checking for breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant water were not started in advance.

"BJP-ruled MCDs have not taken even a single step in time to prevent dengue in Delhi.... You will not find a single person whose house the MCD workers have visited to check for the breeding of mosquitoes this season. At this time, very little fogging is happening all over Delhi," Atishi alleged.

She claimed that while municipal corporations do not have "adequate" fogging machines, anti-dengue medications for fogging have also not been bought "even till this month".

"BJP's MCD is playing with the lives of Delhiites. BJP leaders have put the budget of dealing with dengue-malaria in their own pockets instead of spending them on machines and medications," she stated.

Hitting back at Atishi, Delhi BJP dubbed her allegations as "shameful" and clarified that all three municipal corporations are running awareness campaigns, carrying out fogging and trying to curb the spread of dengue by regular check of homes.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that nothing can be "more shameful" than MLA Atishi's statement that municipal corporations are not doing anything to check the spread of dengue and malaria in Delhi.

"The MCDs are running awareness campaigns, doing fogging and checking the spread of dengue-malaria by regular check of homes especially coolers through DB workers while Atishi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is wasting crores of rupees on hoarding campaigns," he said.

Kapoor asked Atishi to ask the Delhi chief minister to stop wasting money on advertising and help municipal corporations financially to better control the spread of dengue-malaria. 

(With agency inputs)