Delhi: 8 cases of malaria, mosquito-breeding found in over 14,300 households

New Delhi: At least eight cases of malaria have been reported in the national capital this year, with four of them being recorded in May.

Till April 7, at least 12 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi.

Of the eight cases of malaria recorded till May 19, two were reported in February while a case each in March, April and four this month, according to the latest municipal report.

Four cases of chikungunya have also been recorded in the same period.

The numbers indicate early spread of the vector-borne diseases in the national capital. The cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end, but this period may stretch up to mid-December. There were no cases of any vector-borne disease till January 13.

Meanwhile, domestic breeding checkers have found mosquito-breeding at over 14,386 households in the city till May 19, according to the report. "18,624 legal notices have been served for mosquito-genic conditions and 1,410 prosecutions have been initiated," it said.

Commissioner of the SDMC P K Goel last month had issued an advisory on prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in Delhi. He had urged the heads of educational institutions and offices to cooperate in checking mosquito breeding in their areas. The commissioner also advised people to buy coolers designed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which prevents mosquito-breeding, instead of conventional desert coolers. He also asked heads of various offices to nominate a nodal officer to ensure compliance of advisory and proper prevention.

At least 10 people had died in Delhi due to dengue last year, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city. Five of the 10 victims were not Delhi residents but had died in the national capital. Overall, the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city in 2017. The official toll maintained by the Delhi municipal authorities till December 26 had stood at four, even though some hospitals had reported a few more deaths due to dengue.

The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city last year on August 1, when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndromes at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). Three more deaths were reported in October by the SDMC. The numbers of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded in 2017 stood at 1,142 and 940, respectively.