First dengue death in Delhi; contracted outside, says civic body

The national capital reported the first dengue death of the season with a child succumbing to he disease at the AIIMS, even as civic authorities expressed concern over detection of mosquito breeding in various offices and Commonwealth Games venues.

"An eight-year-old dengue patient died yesterday at AIIMS. He resides in Okhla area of Delhi but had contracted the virus from Bihar, where he had gone on a vacation with his family," municipal health officer NK Yadav said.

The city has reported 26 cases of the disease, he said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has expressed concern over detection of mosquito breeding in different offices and sports venues including Games Village, MTNL Exchange in Hauz Khas, G B Pant Hospital, DMRC Project in Saket, IG Stadium and R K Khanna Stadium.

"Since dengue is a viral illness with cyclical trend of increase in cases after every 3-4 years which coincides with Commonwealth Games this year, there is an urgent need to take adequate precautions against dengue," municipal commissioner KS Mehra has said.

According to official data, a total of 11 dengue cases have been reported from MCD areas, six from NDMC areas and another six had been from outside the state. "The adress of the remaining three is yet to be ascertained," Yadav said.

The MCD has engaged a total of 3,500 domestic breeding checkers from April this year.