The Times of India 30.08.2010
59 more dengue cases; count 800Staff Reporter | New Delhi
The national Capital continued to witness an increase in the number of dengue cases as 59 more confirmed cases of the vector-borne disease were reported on Sunday taking the total number of patients affected to 800. According to the report released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Sunday, 676 cases have been recorded from the MCD area whereas 91 cases were recorded from the NDMC area. Out of the total 800 cases of dengue found in Delhi this year, 779 were recorded from Delhi itself while 21 cases were brought to Delhi from other states.
The national Capital has recorded two confirmed and three suspected dengue deaths this season. Among the fresh cases, the highest number have come from MCD Civil Lines Zone (14) followed by Central Zone (12). The MCD said it has deployed additional staff to tackle the situation in the worst-hit Central and South Delhi, from where 271 cases have been reported so far. "It is also maintaining round-the-clock surveillance near all the Commonwealth Games venues," Municipal Commissioner KS Mehra said.
According to statistics released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the numbers of cases till this time in 2009 were only four. The figure was 67 and 17 in the same periods in 2008 and 2007 respectively. Authorities are more worried about the spread of dengue as the city will host the Games in October, a month which generally sees high prevalence of the disease. According to the MCD, in the previous years, the number of dengue cases and deaths were 1,153 and 3 (2009), 1,312 and 2 (2008), 548 and 1 (2007) and 3,366 and 36 (2006).
"The number of cases would only increase now. With sporadic rains, there is lot of breeding happening in various pockets of Delhi. A majority of cases are coming from south and central zone,'' said NK Yadav, MHO, MCD. Yadav also mentioned "No deaths were reported in the Capital on Sunday."
Meanwhile in Ghaziabad, one more patient succumbed to the H1N1 virus in Ghaziabad. A suspected swine flu patient died in Manki village near Modinagar where already the death tolls in water-borne diseases have reached 10, officials said here. Ashima (18), who was being treated in a local hospital was rushed to Delhi after she was suspected to be affected with swine flu, they said, adding she died on Saturday.
The deaths occurred in Manki and Kalchhina villages due to fever and jaundice but no case of swine flu came in my notice, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) AK Dhawan said.District Magistrate Hredesh Kumar, who visited the affected villages, also confirmed fever and jaundice but he directed to CMO to confirm the case of swine flu. Three persons died of viral fever and jaundice on Friday taking the total number of deaths, including seven children and one woman, to 10 in the villages.
