Delhi to see its worst ever outbreak of chikungunya and dengue cases is a national shame.
Reports have flooded the media of a major spike in registered cases of chikungunya – 105 from January 1 to June 17, 59 cases of malaria and 50 cases of dengue in the same period, according to a Mail Today (MT) report.
In 2015, the city had reported nearly 16,000 dengue cases with 60 odd deaths and in 2016, about 500 dengue and 12,221 chikungunya cases with 20 deaths.
However, a Business Standard report has said that 146 cases of chikungunya and 87 of dengue have been reported in Delhi this year.
Nine cases of chikungunya have been reported in this month alone.
Ten dengue cases have been reported this month till June 17, while eight cases were recorded in May, according to the report by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) which tabulates such cases on behalf of all the civic bodies of the city.Six cases of dengue were reported in January, four in February, 11 in March and as many in April.” The MCD report cited by the media articles has harsh prognosis for the monsoon season, with authorities now hastening towards a quick combat plan, even as cases come to fore at an alarming rate.
With AAP’s health minister Satyendra Jain under CBI scanner, it’s the CM himself who has taken on the cudgels of conducting these meetings and working towards a cleaner Delhi.
News reports have authorities saying on record that despite deploying door-to-door domestic breeding checks, using anti-breeding techniques to discourage mosquitos from proliferating, checking water-logging in low-lying areas, potholed roads, the measures have not been enough to prevent a possible full-scale and perhaps a deadlier outbreak of all three diseases – chikungunya, dengue, malaria.
According to the report, “For malaria, which was one of the health indicators assessed, India merely scored 10 points and remained in the red.
Similarly, for hygiene, the study gave India just eight points while for PM2.5, it scored just 18 points.” Though India scored better in neglected tropical diseases, the fact that Sri Lanka has been declared “malaria-free” by World Health Organisation in 2016, must be really galling for Indian officials, who are still battling with the Anopheles mosquito-borne disease for decades now.