Three more cases of dengue were registered in the Capital over the past one week (till March 26), pushing the season’s tally to 55 cases, according to a civic report that was released on Monday.
Capital has registered dengue cases in double digits for the third consecutive month this year, which has not happened in the last five years. From 2017 to 2021, the caseload in each of these months stood remained in the single digits.
Delhi recorded 23 cases of dengue in January, 16 cases each in February and March (Till the 26th). However, more than half of dengue registered cases this year — 35 out of 55 — remain “untraced after investigation”, civic officials say.
Explaining the term, a senior civic official said that in cases where an infected patient has been identified but the details and address of the patient are not properly registered, are marked as “untraced after investigation”.
Not having details about the infected person makes it difficult for the municipality to track the source of infection. “It is the responsibility of the hospital and the public to ensure that proper details are furnished,” said the senior civic official.
Last season, over 2,900 cases of dengue remained untraced after investigation, while the caseload stood at 9,613 and the death toll at 23 — the highest since 2015 when the city recorded 15,867 cases and 60 deaths.
Dr. Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent at LNJP Hospital, said, “Unlike COVID-19 cases, for which the tracking was very robust, the cases of dengue remaining untraced after investigation maybe because they are not looked into seriously. These patients have to be tracked, only then can remedial measures be taken. Most of the time, civic officials do not visit the site where the infected patients reside.”
Meanwhile, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti has issued an advisory on the prevention and control of Vector-Borne Diseases. The SDMC is also the nodal agency for data collection of dengue cases.
The advisory which was sent to Heads of Department (HODs) of various agencies — including DMRC, DJB, DDA, Delhi Police, PWD and CPWD – called for the prevention of mosquito breeding at the source. The agencies were also requested to appoint nodal officers to ensure preventive measures.
