The past week saw a whopping rise in the number of chikungunya cases, with over 400 cases being confirmed by the municipal corporations in a report released on Monday.
Between August 20 and August 27, 412 cases of chikungunya were recorded in the city, taking the tally for 2016 to 432 so far. In comparison, there were only 20 cases recorded from January 1 till August 20.
Other vector-borne diseases
Cases of other vector-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, also continued to rise as the monsoon provided mosquitoes favourable conditions for breeding.
In the past week, 176 new dengue cases were registered, taking the total number for 2016 to 487. While the numbers remained high, there was a small consolation. The number of cases till August 27 this year were about half of the numbers reported for the same time last year — a record 15,867 dengue cases.
According to municipal officials, the spread of vector-borne disease was unlikely to slow down in the coming weeks with the rain lashing the Capital this week and water collecting on roads.
D.K. Seth, the director of hospital administration of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said though there had been a spike in infections of vector-borne diseases, there was “no outbreak”.
“The weather is conducive for mosquito breeding, so there has been a rise in chikungunya, dengue and malaria cases. However, it is not at the level of the outbreak last year,” added Dr. Seth.
He added that chikungunya was less dangerous than dengue, in the sense that it rarely leads to fatalities. However, it does affect patients severely, leaving them with pain in the joints and swelling.
From August 20-27, 412 cases were recorded in the city, taking the tally for 2016 to 432 so far
