Dengue draws first blood in Delhi this year as 12-yr-old boy dies

New Delhi: A 12-year-old boy has succumbed to dengue, the first reported death due to the vector-borne disease in the city this season, municipal authorities said on Monday.

“The boy, identified as Nitish Kumar, hailed from Bihar and was residing in Safdarjung area in south Delhi. He died at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,” South Delhi mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat said.

This is the first dengue death reported in 2017 in the national capital, which is battling the sting of malaria and chikungunya too.

Authorities at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, “The boy was brought to the hospital on July 30 and died due to dengue haemorrhagic fever on August 1.”

At least 657 people have been affected by dengue this season, according to a municipal report released on Monday. At least 153 cases of the disease have been reported this month till August 19.

Of the 657 dengue cases, 325 affected people were residents of Delhi while the rest of the cases diagnosed were traced to other states.

The number of people affected by malaria this year till August 19, has climbed to 412 while the figure for chikungunya stands at 311.