The dengue outbreak has also raised concern among several countries which are sending teams to participate in the Commonwealth Games to be held next month.
The national capital reported its fifth dengue death even as the cases of the vector-borne disease today climbed to 1,788 with 72 more patients testing positive for the virus.
The city has recorded over 530 dengue cases in the last eight days. The civic bodies are blaming incessant rains and stagnation of water at Games construction sites for the rapid increase in dengue cases this season.
"A 25-year-old patient, Rajkumar, who was admitted at AIIMS and was a resident of that area, died at the hospital on August 29. The report came to us yesterday," Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) public health committee chairman VK Monga said.
The cases of the disease, meanwhile, reached 1788.
During the same period last year, the number of cases of the vector-borne disease in the city was only 12 while it was 226 and 52 in the corresponding periods in 2008 and 2007.
South Delhi continued to be worst-affected this season recording 287 cases, followed by MCD Central Zone (240) and Civil Lines (235).
As the rising waters of Yamuna flooded various low-lying areas of east Delhi, the MCD expressed worries that conditions conducive to mosquito breeding may appear there once the water recedes completely. "We will then undertake special drives in those areas to prevent breeding," Monga said.
The dengue outbreak has also raised concern among several countries which are sending teams to participate in the Commonwealth Games to be held here next month. Over 20 nations have sought information from the Games Organising Committee about the dengue outbreak and steps being taken to combat it.
The Delhi government has directed the MCD to form 100 teams to spray mosquito repellent in the area of two km radius surrounding the Games Village in east Delhi. The MCD teams will be assisted by trained personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
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