Satyendar Jain: Govt curbed vector-borne diseases

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Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said that the AAP government has successfully curbed the vector-borne diseases including swine flu in the capital this year.

Sharing the official data, Jain said that the Capital has witnessed less number of swine flu (H1N1) cases this year in comparison to the other states of the country.

He said that Delhi has registered 2,818 cases of H1N1 flu till 8 October, while other states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have reported 7,617, 5,730 and 3,845 cases respectively.

Out of 2,818 cases, Jain said, 2,198 patients were Delhi’ites while 620 hailed from outside the state.

“So far, the Capital has reported 12 swine flu deaths, of which eight were the residents of Delhi, while four belonged to outside Delhi,” Jain said, adding that states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have reported 430, 650 and 130 deaths respectively.

On vector-borne diseases, Jain said, so far the capital has reported 4,545 dengue cases including one death, of which 2,152 were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other states. The capital has also registered 638 cases of chikungunya, of which 368 belong to Delhi.

“This year, Delhi government has reserved 1067 beds for the patients of vector-borne diseases, of which only 35 percent beds were occupied, while 65 percent remained vacant,” Jain added.

Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jain said that last year’s outbreak was the party’s doing as its workers went on to a strike and had thrown garbage across the capital. “They have also started similar practice this year,” he added.

Ahead of swine flu season, which will start from January, Jain said that he has directed health department officials to keep a vigilante eye on H1N1 influenza and make all possible preparations in this regard.

He said so far all the swine flu cases reported were unseasonal.

Last year, Delhi had seen an outbreak of chikungunya and dengue. As per data provided by the civic bodies, there were 9,633 and 4,305 dengue and chikungunya cases respectively till 3 December 2016.