Delhi records 1,100+ dengue cases, new infection count falls for second week

With Delhi recording over a thousand more dengue cases during the week ending November 27, the number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the city has crossed the 8,000-mark, taking the tally to 8,276 this year, according to the weekly report released by the municipal corporations on Monday. Though the total number of dengue cases is the highest since Delhi’s biggest outbreak in 2015, the weekly numbers indicate that dengue cases are on the decline now.

Last week’s dengue case count stood at 1,148 cases, down from 1,851 cases reported the week before, and 2,569 cases reported in the week prior to that. Delhi has recorded 6,739 cases in November so far.

“There has been 36-37% reduction in the number of cases we are seeing. By next week, we should see the numbers subside completely. The breeding has already stopped with no more rains and drop in temperatures,” said a senior official from the municipal corporations.

Hospitals across the city reported a decline in the number of cases over the last 10 days.

To be sure, the high number of cases this November is reflective of increased reporting following the Delhi government move last month, making vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya notifiable. As per officials, nearly 10-25% of the cases reported during the month were old cases reported by hospitals and other healthcare institutions following the notification.

Nine people have died due to the infection in Delhi so far, but a senior official from the municipal corporation said that the number may rise as the expert death audit committee is yet to assess at least 10-12 more deaths.

“There are around 10-12 deaths from November that are yet to be examined by the committee... There is a meeting of the committee scheduled for December 2 when these deaths will be examined,” said the second official.

The nine confirmed deaths were from among the 34 people who died in Delhi hospitals till October end. Deaths are added to the official toll by the committee after confirming whether dengue was the cause of death and whether the patient contracted the infection in Delhi.

Delhi saw 10 deaths each in 2016 and 2017, when the city recorded around 4,000 cases each. The highest deaths from dengue was in 2015 when the infection killed 60.