While health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh has claimed that around 2,200 cases have been reported so far, Municipal Corporation of Delhi ’s (MCD) latest vector-borne disease report puts the figure at 272 till Aug 22, including 26 fresh cases last week. New Delhi: Ambiguity continues over the number of dengue cases reported in the city this year.
National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme shows 217 cases in the city till April 30. Civic teams detected mosquito breeding at more than one lakh locations between Jan 1 and Aug 22, according to the MCD data. The civic body has issued 81,143 legal notices and launched 6,927 prosecutions for conditions conducive to mosquito breeding.
Explaining the difference, a senior MCD official said the civic body was considering only confirmed cases after verification by its teams, including visits to the addresses provided.
We are, on the other hand, following a protocol and submitting details of verified patients to National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control,” the official said. “Many laboratories are also filing their reports on the govt portal even when the cause of fever is not verified. TOI contacted health minister Singh regarding the discrepancy, but did not receive any response.