Dengue cases: MCD cancels weekly leaves of health officials

With 20 fresh cases, the number of dengue patients in the city reached 297. MCD has recorded one confirmed and three suspected dengue deaths so far this season. Among the 297 cases, 222 are from MCD areas, 48 from NDMC areas and rest from other areas.

The civic body said it was trying its best to control the spread of the vector-borne disease and has challaned a large number of individuals and organisations for breeding of mosquitoes in their premises. It said notices were sent to 45,532 people for breeding and 6,125 of them were fined.

Among 136 "VIP challans" -- issued against government organisations -- were premises of agencies like DDA, PWD, DJB, DTC, CPWD, government schools and colleges besides MCD's own Horticulture Department and Works Department, Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney said.

Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra said all possible steps were being taken to control the situation. He said weekly leaves of health department officials have been cancelled and public health offices will remain open on weekends. Officials will not be allowed to take leave except for medical reasons.

Staff of other department too will be available on weekends as per requirement, he said.
The issue of rising cases of dengue was also debated at a meeting of the MCD Standing Committee today where councillors cutting across party lines expressed their concern. The MCD is more worried about the spread of dengue as the city will host the Commonwealth Games in October, a month which generally sees high prevalence of the disease.

Mehra said the MCD has 454 hand-held fogging machines and 10 vehicle-mounted machines which have been deployed across the city. The civic body is using bio-larvaecide this time, he said and appealed to the public to cooperate by not allowing water to accumulate in their premises.

According to the civic body, in the previous years, the number of dengue cases and deaths were 1153 and 3 (2009), 1312 and 2 (2008), 548 and 1 (2007) and 3366 and 36 (2006).