Delhi: Dengue cases cross 800 mark; 290 cases in just last week

Written By Cheena Kapoor | Updated: Oct 30, 2018, 06:35 AM IST

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The total count of people affected by dengue, only in the month of October, is 839, more than double the last month when the cases were only 374.

At least 290 fresh cases of dengue were reported in the Delhi and NCR region just last week, thus taking the total count of people affected by the disease to 1,310 this year. The total number of cases of malaria and chikungunya reported in the week ending October 27, are 16 and 20 respectively.

The total count of people affected by dengue, only in the month of October, is 839, more than double the last month when the cases were only 374.

Overall all the cases for the three diseases have gone down as compared to 2017 where chikungunya and malaria were 443 and 541 respectively by this time last year, and 129 and 427 this year; whereas dengue was 3,272 by this time last year.

As dengue is showing a significant rise authorities fear more visits of patients to the hospitals and then Intensive Care Units.

"There is definitely rise in the malaria and dengue cases as compared to last month but the situation is definitely better than last year," says Doctor SP Byotra, Head of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "It is strongly suggested to keep the surroundings dry and free from mosquito breeding zones, we do not need another epidemic," he adds.

Apart from the vector-borne diseases, the capital is currently reeling under a spate of viral fevers with change in weather. Many are falling sick off viral fevers thus leading to increased visits at the hospitals.

"Viral fever usually subsides on the third day of its onset but this time we are witnessing patients with consistent fever for more than three days.," says Doctor Rajesh Bhudiraja, Internal Medicine, Asian Institute of Medical Science.

"The earliest recognizable symptoms of a viral infection are often fatigue and body ache. This may be followed by the onset of fever. In most cases, the fever is accompanied by a sore throat, running nose, nasal stuffiness and red eyes. A headache is also a common symptom of viral infection. Vomiting and diarrhea may be present in some cases," he added.