131 malaria cases reported in Delhi this season
At least 43 cases of malaria have been reported in the first 18 days of August in Delhi, taking the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease in the city this season to 131, according to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) report released today. No fresh case of chikungunya has been reported in the last week. Here are more details.
Two cases of malaria were reported in February, one each in April and March, 17 in May, 25 in June, 42 in July and 43 till August-18. Of the total 69 dengue cases this season, 20 were reported till August 11, 19 in July, six in January, three in February, one in March, two in April, 10 in May and eight in June.
A senior doctor at a government-run facility advised people to take all the precautions, like wearing full-sleeve clothes and not allowing the breeding of mosquito larvae inside homes. "The water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot. Mosquito nets should be used at home," the doctor said.
The cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13. The report said domestic breeding checkers have found mosquito breeding in 1,03,041 households till August 18. It said 96,526 legal notices have been served for various violations and "12,878 prosecutions have been initiated".
On June 28, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector control measures. He had also asked for regular meetings at the level of District Magistrates with all stakeholders to review the situation in their respective districts.
