New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- The city on Tuesday reported 29 new cases of dengue, taking the total number of persons affected with the mosquito-borne disease to 484. Of these, five persons do not belong to Delhi.
There has been only one official dengue death of the season so far - a nine-year-old girl from Sangam Vihar who died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on September 24.
The official figures, however, seem to be far less than the actual numbers as most hospitals in the city have more than 20 dengue patients undergoing treatment.
Fortis hospital alone has reported 174 dengue cases so far, and on Tuesday, the Vasant Kunj and Shalimar Bagh branches of the multi-speciality hospital reported 21 new cases.
Private hospitals in the city together have seen at least five times the dengue cases reported officially. Even the government hospitals are getting 10-15 dengue cases every day.
Hospitals have been forced to add extra beds considering the rush of patients suffering from dengue-like symptoms. "We are getting a lot of fever patients and we have to keep them under observation before their test results are out. The extra beds are to accommodate these patients," said a senior doctor at the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak hospital.
The worst affected is the south zone, reporting 78 dengue cases so far this season, followed by central and civil line zone. The New Delhi Municipal Council area has reported seven dengue cases.
"We have intensified mosquito surveillance. Our domestic breeding checkers are making door-to-door visits to check mosquito breeding and to issue challan to property owners found guilty," said a senior official from the department of public health, south Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.
