Minor dies of dengue; first fatality in Delhi, says MCD
The national capital is seeing more than 100 dengue cases every week, with over 160 fresh cases only in the last week.
New Delhi: A 12-year-old boy has died due to dengue in Delhi. It is the first dengue death recorded by the MCD this year.
The young boy, identified as Nitish Kumar, succumbed to dengue hemorrhagic fever on August 1 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). He was a native of Bihar and was living in Safdarjung area.
“He was brought to the hospital on July 30 and died on August 1,” said an official of the hospital.
This was the first death that has been reported by the municipal authorities. The hospitals, however, had earlier reported more deaths due to the vector-borne disease. The national capital is seeing more than 100 dengue cases every week, with over 160 fresh cases only in the last week.
This takes the total number of dengue cases recorded in Delhi to 657, out of which 325 are reported from residents belonging to Delhi and the rest are from people who have come for treatment from other states. At least 153 cases of the disease have been reported this month till August 19.
Compared to this, fewer malaria and chikungunya cases were reported in the last week. While 27 fresh cases of malaria were reported, 22 cases were recorded of chikungunya, taking the total to 412 and 311 respectively.
It is the sudden rise in the number of dengue cases in the last few weeks, along with swine flu, that is a cause of concern for the authorities.
Over 1,000 cases of swine flu and four deaths due to it were reported in the national capital. The city’s health department has submitted a status report to the government saying that it is fully prepared to deal with it.
The season for the vector-borne diseases kicked in mid-July and it generally lasts till November end. However, the cases of all the three vector-borne diseases were reported much earlier this time, which doctors have attributed to the early arrival of the monsoon.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had earlier said, “We appeal to the people that they should not panic. We have stocked up enough medicines and the administration is adequately equipped to handle any situation.”