Dengue cases and deaths have reached an all-time high in India as the total number of patients hit the 12,000 mark this year.
As of Thursday, Oct. 15, a grand total of 12,020 incidents of dengue has been registered in Delhi after adding this week's tally of 1,337 cases.
Thirty-two deaths have also been reported due to the vector-borne disease, though health experts believe that if unreported deaths are added, the total could reach 46.
This year's number of cases was nearly three times more than 2010's outbreak with 4,375 reported cases.
"The peak of this dengue season was observed almost three weeks ago, since then, the cases have come down," said Dr. Srikant Sharma, of Moolchand Hospital. However, he also noted that patients continue to arrive, "So we cannot say that the outbreak is over."
According to gathered data, it is Najafgarh, a zone in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, that had the most number of cases at 832, followed by the north and south Shahdara zones in East Delhi Municipal Corporation at 802 and 698, respectively.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation had an overall total of 2,562 cases.
Leader of Opposition Farhad Suri attributed the high number of dengue cases in South Delhi to the failure of the districts to prepare and manage the problem.
"Both the corporations and the Delhi Government failed the people of Delhi as they were unable to prevent the spread of dengue," Suri said while criticizing government leaders for not putting the people's needs above political issues.
Dengue is a viral illness caused by an infected mosquito bite. Initial symptoms resemble those of flu like fever, joint pains, nausea and weakness. If left unchecked, patient's platelets may drop drastically, leading to coma and death.
However, if treated promptly, dengue is a self-limiting illness, meaning it will go away on its own without leaving further complications.
Health officials recommend that awareness, education and elimination of mosquito breeding areas are the most helpful interventions in preventing the spread of the disease.
"Awareness is the key factor which has brought down the deaths due to dengue. The numbers are the same, the strains are the same, yet we were able to revive people who had even gone into the shock stage," said Dr. S.P. Byotra, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's department of medicine.
He also advised for patients to get tested for dengue as soon as they have fever and to keep hydrated while ill.
Photo: Tarek Mahmud | Flickr
