Japanese encephalitis spreads wings in Delhi

Now the number of people suffering from the deadly mosquito-borne disease has reached seven in Delhi

Now the number of people suffering from the deadly mosquito-borne disease has reached seven in Delhi

The much-talked about deadly disease, Japanese encephalitis (JE), has attacked two more children in the Capital, taking the number of cases to seven.


Representative Pic

According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), one of the two new cases is "indigenous", indicating that "the mosquito-borne virus is multiplying in the city itself". The blood sample of Sonal (11), a resident of Kanti Nagar and Kishan (4), a resident of Trilokpuri, have tested positive for the JE virus. While the former is undergoing treatment at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya, Sonal is admitted with Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital.

Expert speaks
Dr V K Monga, chairman of the MCD health committee, said, "JE virus is multiplying in the city. Sonal is a perfect example of that. She is an indigenous case." Apparently, Sonal's blood sample was one of the 10 collected from Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital as part of a routine random check for JE cases in the city.

Japanese encephalitis, which affects the brain and is more common in Uttar Pradesh, was reported in the city the first time this year on September 21. No one has died of the deadly vector-borne disease as yet.

Dengue cases reach 600-mark in Capital
Dengue cases in the city crossed the 600 mark on Tuesday, after 25 more people tested positive since yesterday. "From an average of 10 cases per day, we are now getting over 20 cases per day. A total of 621 people have been diagnosed with dengue till now," said Dr Monga. "By mid-November, we hope the number of dengue cases will come down, as the aedes mosquito breeds in warm weather and dies in winter," he added. The first case of dengue was reported this year in March. Four deaths due to dengue haemorrhagic fever have been reported in the city so far, the last being on October 13.u00a0 "Even if the temperatures are dropping, people should take precautions, as dengue cases were reported till end of December last year. The trend is changing," said Monga.

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