‘MCD is not taking dengue seriously; if they don’t wake up, Delhiites will have to face serious health issues’.
NEW DELHI
The number of dengue cases recorded in Delhi in the first three weeks of September was the “highest” in the last four years, according to data released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which has cautioned citizens against complacency in the fight against the deadly disease that has spread rapidly in the last 50 days.
A total of 3,013 cases of dengue were reported till 22 September, 348 till 5 August, and till now, no deaths have been reported. The MCD shared details of dengue cases after a gap of one-and-a-half months during the house meeting on Tuesday. The civic body said that a total of 3,013 dengue cases were reported until 22 September. In comparison to 4,469 dengue cases in the last financial year, 9,613 in 2021-22, and 1,072 in 2020-21, a total of nine deaths took place last year: 23 in 2021-22 and one in 2020-21. However, the civic body did not share the monthly data. Meanwhile, the public health department of MCD informed this paper that the number of cases recorded in September was the highest in the last four years. Last year, the number was 693.
A spike has been seen in other vector-borne diseases like malaria and chikungunya. In all, 294 cases of malaria have been reported so far, compared to 263 in the corresponding period in 2022–23, 167 in 2021-22, and 228 in 2020-21. In all, 23 cases of chikungunya have been reported, in comparison to 48 in 2022-23, 89 in 2021-22, and 111 in 2020–21,
Dhanraj Kumar, a resident of West Delhi, said: “My child is suffering from dengue. Despite taking the utmost care, my child was diagnosed with dengue last week. There was no proper fogging done in parks where children go out to play and get infected with vector-borne diseases.”
Naina Singh, a resident of the Nehru Enclave, said, “We were living in a posh neighbourhood with all the facilities, yet we got infected by dengue this year. My platelet counts went down to 50,000. In terms of health expenses, it cost me Rs 7,000-10,000. The MCD is not taking dengue seriously; if they don’t wake up, Delhiites will have to face serious health issues.”
Vineet Tiwari, a resident of east Delhi, said: “Cases of dengue are increasing rapidly. If the city government doesn’t start taking action action, then we have to face the consequences like they were in 2015. MCD is not cleaning the area properly; they didn’t even bother to do fogging regularly.”
Yogesh Verma, BJP councillor of Keshavpuram, said: “Multiple deaths have been reported in the areas of several councillors, and the official figure of just one death does not reflect reality. If the officers are citing that the reports were stopped due to the G20 summit, then they should be named and action should be taken against them. They were betraying the people of Delhi.”
Raja Iqbal Singh, former mayor and leader of the Opposition in MCD, slammed the AAP-led MCD over the delay in releasing the reports of vector-borne diseases. He said, “They don’t have a sufficient quantity of insecticides and fogging spraying materials in zonal wards. On the contrary, they have terminated Domestic Breeding Checker (DBC) workers who are needed at the moment. When you are terminating the workers, who are already not many in number, then who will work in the area? They should think about what they are doing.”
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, “Instead of solving the problem of dengue, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is busy with political tourism.” He added that the party will soon hold a protest against AAP over its “failure” in controlling dengue.
On the other hand, the MCD has claimed that the situation is under control, and there is nothing to worry about. Leader of the House in MCD, Mukesh Goel, said: “The MCD is taking all precautionary measures to tackle the situation.” He added that for controlling vector-borne diseases, a budget of Rs 81.6 crore has been made this year. Goel said, “There is a sufficient stock of insecticides, spraying, and fogging machines available for controlling vector-borne diseases. A total of 36 malaria inspectors, 286 assistant malaria inspectors, 3,108 domestic breeding checkers, and 2,107 field workers are doing the necessary work on the ground.”
An official of the public health department of MCD said the workers are working in mission mode for the detection and destruction of mosquito breeding in all zones. “The department is regularly taking anti-larval measures in all the zones. DBC workers have conducted 2,95,69,150 house visits, and till now, 14,84,050 houses have been sprayed with insecticides. Legal notices have been issued to 1,35,462 houses, and a fine has been imposed on 22,195 defaulters. A sum of Rs 73,36,640 has been received for destroying mosquito breeding, and larva-eating fish have survived at 203 locations.”
Officers further state that during inspection, nearly 40% of mosquito breeding was found in drums and jerry cans, followed by desert coolers at 35% and 15% in construction sites and flower pots. The MCD has requested that citizens of Delhi not let water to stagnate in their surroundings, that they should keep water containers covered, keep their surroundings clean, and not keep scraps on their premises. “By taking these measures, we can win over mosquito-borne diseases,” an MCD official said.