At least 93 cases of malaria were reported in the first two weeks of September, taking the total number of patients suffering from the disease to 247 this year. This is the maximum number of malaria cases recorded in any month this year.
According to a municipal report released on Monday the number of dengue cases reported till September 14 stands at 171 with 49 fresh cases reported last week. With twenty new cases of chikungunya reported last week, the total number has mounted to 60 this year.
As many as 56 malaria cases were reported in August, 54 in July, 35 in June, eight in May and a single case in April. In September, 79 cases of dengue have been recorded, 52 in August, 18 in July, 11 in June, and rest between January and May, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates the data on vector-borne diseases in the city.
Meanwhile, mosquito-breeding has been reported in at least 1, 19,852 households and 99,448 legal notices have been issued this year.
Talking about symptoms of malaria, Dr RK Singhal, director of internal medicine at BLK super specialty hospital said "patients complain of fever, headaches, and generalized pain besides nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps in some cases.
Children may have problems such as high temperature, cough and tekapnia (fast breathing," He also advised people to take precautions and ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae around them.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has started an anti-dengue campaign '10Hafte 10Baje 10Minute' urging people to inspect their house for any standing water.
The campaign from September 1 and November 15 to combat dengue has garnered a massive support from public and several other well-known personalities across the country, including cricketers, Bollywood actors and famous journalists. Bollywood actors Emran Hashmi, Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhaskar and filmmaker Mahesh Bhat, and several senior journalists, including Rajdeep Sardesai, Nidhi Razdan, Faye D'Souza, have supported the campaign. Kejriwal had said participation of these public personalities will inspire common people to take precautions in combating this vector-borne disease.
Chief Minister has also directed his colleagues in the Cabinet to work towards encouraging mass participation in the third week of the campaign. He along with his cabinet ministers and MLAs also visited residential areas of the city on Sunday, requesting people to check mosquito breeding in their surroundings.
Last year, 2,798 dengue cases and four deaths were recorded in Delhi. Both the Delhi government and the local bodies have been making efforts to raise awareness among the people on precautions to ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae in and around their houses.
