According to the latest government data, as many as 1,16,991 cases of dengue have been registered in India this year, indicating an unprecedented surge. Delhi-NCR seems to be the worst aff ected. The national capital has already surpassed the 2,700 mark this year, states a Delhi civic report on vector-borne diseases released on November 8. According to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, 43% of Delhi-NCR residents have reported that someone in their family or close social network has impacted symptoms of dengue this year. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is caused by the dengue virus. It is spread by mosquito bites from Aedes mosquitos. These mosquito larvae breed in clear, stagnant water as opposed to those of malaria that thrive even in dirty water. Cases of such vector-borne infections are most common in the monsoon season. However, states like Haryana, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir continue to observe a high case load of dengue in November, even after the withdrawal of the monsoon season. According to news agency PTI, Delhi reported 1,171 dengue cases in the fi rst week of November. A total of 1,072 cases and one death, were reported in 2020. In a massive surge, the number of cases has risen to over 2,700 in 2021- the most number of cases reported since 2018. Despite a decline in Covid-19 cases, 665 infections were reported in October alone, bringing the total number of cases to 1,006 on October 23. In October, hospitals such as Apollo and Max reported a 30-60% spike in the number of dengue patients. In government hospitals, the number of COVID-19 beds has to be reduced in order to make room for dengue and other fever patients. Doctors and experts say that prolonged rains could be a reason behind the dengue outbreak in Delhi. Delhi-based physician Dr. Sranjeet Chattergee from Appolo Hospital also suggests that while governments were busy dealing with COVID-19, cautionary measures for dengue fever were sidelined. Another reason for this massive dengue outbreak can be that people are not following post-monsoon precautions ever since COVID restrictions are lifted. Stagnant water at re-opened building sites and overcrowded markets can also be the causes of such a massive rise in cases. A variety of preventive activities, both individual and administrative, can help to reduce the spread and effect of dengue fever. At the government level, public awareness about the disease and well-maintained sanitation should be the goal. Government should also provide adequate healthcare resources to deal with dengue fever such as doing house-to-house checks and fogging. Until temperature drops in the coming weeks, individuals should ensure that water does not pool in their neighbourhoods or workplaces and dispose of garbage in a proactive and sanitary manner to avoid mosquitoes breeding.
10 Jan 2022
Yashvi Shah
