43 malaria cases from Aug 1 to 18, number touches 243

More than 43 cases of malaria have been reported in the first 18 days of August, taking the total number of cases of the vector-borne disease to 243 out of which 112 belonged to neighbouring States, said the report released by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Monday.

The cases this year, started  from the month of February, as out of 131 cases in Delhi, two were reported in that month only. While 25 cases were recorded in June, with 42 cases the disease saw a sudden increase in July. Around 17 cases were reported in the month of May, said the report. 

According to the report, out of total 142 cases of dengue so far, 69 have been recorded in Delhi. Interestingly, no fresh case of chikungunya has been reported in Delhi this week; however, one case has been recorded in belonging states, said the report. A total of 68 cases of chikungunya have been recorded out of which 41 have been recorded in Delhi.

A senior doctor at a Government-run facility said both dengue and malaria have different carriers. Therefore, it is not unusual for malaria cases to be reported in larger number compared to dengue.

He advised people to take all precautions, like wearing full-sleeve clothes and not allowing breeding of mosquito larvae inside homes. “Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot. Mosquito nets should be used at home,” the doctor said.

The cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13.

The report said domestic breeding checkers have found mosquito breeding in 1, 03,041 households in the city till August 18.

It said 96,526 legal notices have been served for various violations and “12,878 prosecutions have been initiated”.

On June 28, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector control measures.

He had also asked for regular meetings at the level of district magistrates with all stakeholders to review the situation in their respective districts.

According to the SDMC, 10 people died due to dengue in Delhi last year, of whom five were not residents of the national capital, they died here.

Overall, the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city last year.