Dengue snuffs out two more lives

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 16

Two more persons, including a 26 -year-old Manipuri woman, have succumbed to dengue in the city even as the number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this season has reached 5,220, according to a municipal report released today.

The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city this year, when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndrome at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) on August 1.

Rhoda Daimai, who was living in Sarita Vihar, South Delhi, died on August 27 of septicaemia and other ensuing complications while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue on September 2, the report said.

Civic bodies said Daimai was a resident of a village in Manipur and had come to Delhi seeking treatment while Meena lived in Karawal Nagar in East Delhi. While Meena also died at SGRH, Rhoda succumbed at Holy Family Hospital.

The number of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded in the city till October 14 at 1,062 and 683, respectively, said the report by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data for the entire city.

Of the total 5,220 dengue cases, 2,564 were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other states. Of the 2,564 Delhi cases, 757 were reported this month, it said.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. This year, however, it has been much earlier. Doctors attribute this to an early monsoon.

Dengue and chikungunya are caused by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clean water. The female anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water.

According to the SDMC, mosquito breeding has been reported from 4,78,978 households in the city.

All the three municipal corporations in the city have stepped up awareness drives, distributing pamphlets and plying vehicles with loudspeakers announcing dos and don'ts for prevention.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city has banned over-the-counter sale of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin and Brufen as their use may "pose a threat" to dengue and chikungunya patients.

At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported last year from various city hospitals, including nine at AIIMS, though the official figure of the civic bodies stood at 10.Seventeen deaths, suspected to be due to malaria, were also reported by civic bodies last year.