Delhi dengue toll spikes to 23, highest since 2016

According to the civic body's report on vector-borne diseases released Monday, a total of 9,545 dengue cases were recorded till December 25

Six minors, including an eight-month-old boy, have succumbed to dengue in the past two months, taking the total number of deaths due to the vector-borne disease in Delhi this year to 23, according to a report released on Monday by a civic body.

The number of dengue cases has risen to over 9,500 in the city, with about 130 new cases logged in the past week, far less than what was being reported till a few weeks ago. Till December 18, the official dengue death tally, maintained by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), was 17.

According to the civic body's report on vector-borne diseases released Monday, a total of 9,545 dengue cases and 23 deaths have been recorded this season till December 25.

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The six fatalities reported Monday took place between late October and late November, a senior SDMC official said. One of the victims, an infant boy, was aged just eight months, while a resident of Kirari died at CNBC Hospital on November 3, the official said.

Other minors who succumbed to dengue in this period included a 15-year-old boy from Mehrauli, who died on October 28, an eight-year-old girl from Dakshinpuri, who died on November 5, a seven-year-old boy who died on October 29, a 10-year-old boy who died on October 21 and a 13-year-old boy, who died on November 21, according to the details shared by SDMC officials.

A total of 1,269 cases of dengue were recorded till December 25. In the previous years, the total dengue cases were 4,431 (2016), 4,726 (2017), 2,798 (2018), 2,036 (2019) and 1,072 (2020), according to the report.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive outbreak of dengue with the number of cases crossing 10,600 in October, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996.

The number of dengue fatalities this year is the highest in the national capital since 2016, when the toll was 10. The national capital recorded two deaths due to dengue in 2019, four in 2018, and 10 each in 2017 and 2016. A total of 1,072 cases and one death were logged in 2020, according to the report.

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