Delhi now close to winning battle against dengue: CM Kejriwal

New Delhi, October 23

Amid a spike in cases of dengue in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday claimed that Delhi was now “close to winning the battle” against the vector-borne disease.

He encouraged all city residents to participate actively in the ‘10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute’ campaign on Sunday to combat dengue.

People of Delhi have decided that they would only rest after driving away dengue from the city, he said.

“Delhi is now very close to winning the battle against dengue. Like previous weeks, this Sunday too at 10 am, let us all spend 10 minutes, inspecting our homes and surrounding areas, for any sign of stagnant water. If you do find such water, drain it, replace it or cover with a small layer of oil. Together, let us all make Delhi dengue-free,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.

The chief minister’s assertion comes amid a surge in dengue cases in the last two weeks, and the first death due to it was reported on Monday.

According to a civic report on vector-borne diseases released on Monday, one death due to dengue, and a total of 723 dengue cases have been recorded this season till October 16, which is the highest case count since 2018 for the same period.

Of the total number of dengue cases recorded in Delhi this year, 382 have been reported this month till October 16, which amount to nearly 52 per cent of the cumulative cases.

Kejriwal said that like last year, this time too the Delhi government is running the ‘10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute’ anti-dengue campaign.

All ministers, MLAs and officers of the Delhi government are also taking part in the campaign, and cleaning the water accumulated in their homes every Sunday, he added.

Along with this, all the citizens living in Delhi are being made aware on changing of water in coolers, pots, every week, by joining the campaign, he said.

“We all have to work together to stop mosquito-breeding. We all have to do this for 10 weeks, and defeat dengue,” Kejriwal said.

The maximum number of dengue cases is reported every year between September 1 and November 15, the chief minister said.

Dengue mosquitoes breed only in clear water. The mosquito lays larvae on clear water, which turn into mosquitoes within 8-10 days. If that water is changed before eight days, and larvae removed, then mosquitoes will not be generated, he added.

A total of 1,072 cases and one death was logged in the entire year in 2020.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive outbreak of dengue, when the number of dengue cases reported has crossed 10,600 in October itself, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996. PTI

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