Delhi is battling one of the worst dengue outbreak in the recent years, but the authorities seem to be trying to downplay the effect. The number of deaths due to dengue reported by MCD is significantly lower than the number recorded in hospital books.
Going by hospital records, at least 38 deaths have been reported but these cases are not part of the official records. The dengue figures released by the MCD claims that between 2010 and 2014, there have been 29 dengue deaths. However, according to another set of MCD data on death registration during the same period, over 1200 dengue deaths have been recorded.
The question that arises is that why is there such huge discrepancy in dengue figures and why are the civic authorities downplaying the dengue outbreak.
The MCD meanwhile, is passing the buck to the hospitals claiming that they have the details which are conveyed to them by the hospitals. "We go by what the hospitals tell us. there is a reporting system where the reason of the deaths has to be confirmed by the hospitals after which it is reported to the MCD," South MCD PRO Mukesh Yadav said.
Doctors say the worst is perhaps over and hospitals like Sir Gangaram has seen a steady decline in the number of outpatients in the last few days. If MCD data is to be trusted, as compared to the two weeks back, there has been a decline in the number of cases.
With the temperatures set to dip in the coming weeks, an overworked and fatigued medical fraternity is hoping that the dengue numbers would further come down. But doctors warn that this is not the time to relax and that hospitals must now prepare themselves for the next possible outbreak in the winter months - swine flu.
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