Delhi reports 146 malaria cases, about 40% rise in August
New Delhi : In a shocking revelation by municipality, close to 60 malaria cases have been reported in Delhi, August. Now, the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease has risen to 146.
As per record of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), two cases of malaria were reported in February, one each in April and March, 17 in May, 25 in June, 42 in July and 58 till August 25
Also, 78 dengue cases have been reported till date. 29 cases were reported till August 11, 19 were reported in July, six in January, three in February, one in March, two in April, 10 in May and eight in June.
Besides malaria and dengue, cases of chikungunya were reported here in the last week, raising the number to 44.
Health experts at a government-run facility said both dengue and malaria have different carriers. They advised people to take all precautions, like wearing full-sleeve clothes and not allowing breeding of mosquito larvae inside homes.
"Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot. Mosquito nets should be used at home," the doctor said.
Normally, the mosquito borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13.
Breeding checkers in Delhi, reported that they found mosquito breeding in 1,14,532 households in the city till August 25. It said 1,04,866 legal notices have been served for various violations and "14,155 prosecutions initiated".
On June 28, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector control measures. As per source close to SDMC, 10 people died due to dengue in Delhi last year, of whom five were not residents of the national capital.
