295 dengue cases in a week bring Delhi’s annual total to over 2.4k

Dengue infections have reached over 2,400 this year, according to data released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday. The Capital reported 295 cases in November.

Because of the irregular rainfall that persisted through October, according to Dr. BL Sherwal, medical superintendent at Safdarjung Hospital, this year’s instances have been particularly high.

Dengue infections reached 2,175 overall as of October 26. As of November 4, 295 cases have been reported this month. Of the total cases reported, 693 were discovered in September, and in October, the monthly total increased to 1,238.

Delhi has not yet reported any dengue deaths despite the high number. The vector-borne illness claimed the lives of 23 people last year. Infection fatalities ranged from one in 2020 to two in 2019, four in 2018, and ten in 2017.

Despite an increase in dengue cases, particularly during the previous two to three weeks, health experts from around the city said that the majority of the symptoms are “mild to moderate”.

Similar patterns were also confirmed by the leaders of Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest government hospital in Delhi, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, and Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital.

“People are recovering with mild to moderate symptoms,” said Dr Subhash Giri, medical director of GTB and RGSS.

“People must ensure that they do not allow stagnation of water in their premises. The positive sign, however, is that cases coming in now are not very severe,” said Dr Sherwal.