Delhi affected by malaria: 324 cases reported so far
Malaria has gripped Delhi in a bad way, with 24 new cases being reported in a week. This takes the number to 170 when it comes to city residents, but if people coming from outside for treatment in Delhi is considered, the number notches up to 324. Officials said among the three mosquito-borne illnesses-malaria, dengue and chikungunya-malaria has affected Delhi the most this year.
Among the rest two mosquito-borne ailments, dengue scores higher than chikungunya at 107 cases so far, whereas the other one has 44 cases recorded till now. Though the numbers may be startling, officials said, it's less than what's usually reported at this time of the year. Even though Delhi has received heavy showers intermittently, the vector-borne diseases have been largely contained.
"This is because Delhi didn't receive any off-season rain," said a municipal health official, adding, "During past two years, seasons for mosquito-borne illnesses were longer because there were sporadic showers early on in the year." Explaining the trend, he said, post and during monsoons, there are ample breeding grounds for the mosquitoes, which is why in October the number of cases usually peaks.
Notably, the cases go down when winter strikes in November, but dengue season has seen an extension, with a number of cases being reported this January. The official clarified that these are "the residual cases that happen when the numbers are high during a season."
