This year’s dengue outbreak in Delhi seems to have surpassed all records since 2018, with each month recording the highest cases in the past five years.
Till October-end, the city has reported a total of 2,175 dengue cases, closest to 2018, when 1,595 cases were recorded, official data analysed by CNN-News18 shows.
According to the data from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in October, at least 1,238 dengue cases were registered in the national capital, while in September, the number was 693. These two months account for nearly 90% of the cases reported this year in Delhi.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that spreads widely in the monsoon. Every year, an upsurge in dengue cases was observed between July and November. The cases peak between August and November. Post November, with a drop in temperature, the cases dip.
However, this year, even the non-monsoon months reported higher dengue cases compared to previous years. Between 2018 and 2021, during the months of January, February and March, dengue cases in Delhi were in single digits. However, this year it was more than 15 cases each month.
Also, the months of April, May and June, between 2018 and 2021, usually registered cases in single digits, with a few exceptions, but not exceeding 12 in a month. But in 2022, April saw 20 cases, May and June registered 30 and 32 cases, respectively, highest for the months since 2018.
The virus is transmitted by the infective bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Its symptoms include high fever, headache, rash, muscle and joint pain. It occurs in two forms – dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness, while DHF is a more severe form of the disease, which may cause death.
No dengue deaths have been reported in Delhi till October, the MCD data shows.
Delhi saw one of its worst dengue seasons in 2015, when the city recorded 15,867 cases and 60 deaths.
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