Delhi’s health report card is out and the Capital has registered an alarming rise in the number of viral meningitis and swine flu cases. Diseases including dengue, cholera, acute diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid, acute respiratory infection, tetanus neonatal and diphtheria continue to plague the city.
According to the National Health Profile-2013, Delhi accounts for the maximum number of cases (876) and deaths (53) due to viral meningitis in the country. There has also been a considerable rise in the number of swine flu cases and deaths in 2012 and 2013 as compared to 2011. The most alarming has been the 72.6 per cent increase in the number of deaths due to swine flu in 2013.
Chicken pox, encephalitis and viral meningitis are included for the first time in the National Health Profile. In 2013, Delhi recorded 18 cases of chikungunya fever, 6 cases of kala-azar, 5,574 cases of dengue, 22 cases of cholera, 1,25,727 cases of acute diarrhoeal diseases with 61 deaths, 31,579 cases of typhoid with 29 deaths, 3,09,105 cases of acute respiratory infection with 167 deaths.
In the same year, 150 cases of diphtheria were reported with 39 deaths, and 945 cases of measles with four deaths were registered. There were also 31 cases of whooping cough. Besides, the city also reported 8,130 cases of viral hepatitis and 130 deaths due to the disease and 10 deaths due to rabies.
Another major health concern for the city has been pneumonia with 30,347 cases and 588 deaths being reported last year. There were also 73 cases of meningococcal meningitis and two deaths due to it. Meanwhile, though the city/country has won its fight against polio, 1,262 cases of leprosy were reported last year as per the National Health Profile.
The city also reported 1,511 cases of swine flu, 506 cases of chicken pox and 407 cases of encephalitis, with 38 deaths due to the disease. As per the National Health Profile, Delhi also reported 44 cases of snake bite last year and three people lost their life. Also 57 per cent children in the age group of 6-59 months were found to be anaemic in the city.
