Delhi sees over 1,000 chikungunya cases in 1 week

There has been a sharp increase of over 1,000 more chikungunya cases in the past one week across the city, said a weekly municipal report on Monday.

So far, the vector borne diseases have claimed over 35 lives in Delhi this season - 18 people have died of chikungunya, 13 people have succumbed to dengue, and malaria has claimed five lives.

But the report compiled by the nodal agency, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, only mentions four deaths due to dengue.

According to the municipal report, as many as 4,649 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the city till September 24.

Of these, the total number of confirmed cases stand at 3,695.

In all, 2,625 confirmed cases of chikungunya were reported in the city till September 17. “There has been an increase of 1,070 confirmed cases of chikungunya in the city in the last one week.”

In 2015, only 64 cases of chikungunya were reported in the city.

The total number of 1,692 cases of dengue have been reported in the city till September 24. In all, 25 cases of malaria have surfaced so far this season.

As per the Centre's Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, the number of cases of dengue cases stands at 2,926 till September 13.

The Aam Aadmi Party government has been appealing to the people to take out time to clean their homes and their surroundings to fight dengue and chikungunya.

Satyendar Jain said that beds at the Delhi govt hospitals have been lying unoccupied.