Mosquito-borne diseases on the rise in the Capital

MALARIA CASES HAVE MORE THAN QUADRUPLED FROM FOUR CASES, REPORTED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2019 AND MAY 9, 2019, TO 18 CASES REPORTED BETWEEN THE SAME PERIOD THIS YEAR

Mosquito-borne diseases in the national Capital are rising at an alarming rate adding to the worries of civic agencies that are struggling to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Until May 9 this year, areas under all five municipal bodies in Delhi—north, south and east corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council, and Delhi Cantonment Board—recorded a significant jump in the number of dengue, malaria and chikungunya cases as compared to the same period last year. All three diseases are transmitted by the Anopheles and Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. Malaria cases in Delhi have more than quadrupled from four cases, reported between January 1, 2019 and May 9, 2019, to 18 cases reported between the same period this year. The number of chikungunya cases has doubled from five cases last year (till May 9) to 10 cases this year. The number of Dengue cases for the same period has also increased from nine last year to 14 cases this year. Public health experts say the hike in the number of cases can be attributed to “intermittent rain and lower temperatures this year.” “Delhi received more than the normal amount of rainfall this year, and in March, it received the highest amount of rainfall in the last ten years,” said Dr RN Singh, senior municipal health officer, New Delhi Municipal Council.

The Covid-19 pandemic is also posing a challenge to the efforts of the civic bodies to contain mosquito-borne diseases.