Chikungunya in Delhi News

At least 79 cases of chikungunya and 24 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi just three months since January 1, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has said.

According to the latest figures, 1,568 cases of chikungunya were reported in just one week till September 17 – an increase of nearly 150 percent over the preceding week.

Till date, chikungunya, which was first reported in 1952, has claimed 12 lives in the national capital this season.

As dengue and chikungunya cases continue to rise in the city, the Delhi government has been criticised for failing to take measures to prevent mosquito breeding, like fogging and door-to-door sensitisation.

On Monday, a 65-year-old man from Ghaziabad has succumbed to chikungunya at Ganga Ram Hospital, becoming the first victim of vector-borne disease in the national capital.

Safdarjung Hospital which received over a thousand patients in its fever clinics till recently, has reported 328 dengue cases and 532 chikungunya cases this season, a senior official of the hospital told PTI.

Chikungunya is a viral illness, primarily transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes, predominantly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - two species which can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue. 

Several hospitals in the national capital are reporting increasing cases of chikungunya, including at Safdarjung Hospital where three deaths due to dengue and one due to malaria have taken place this season.

This season, many states across the country, including Delhi, are grappling with rising cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, mainly dengue, chikungunya, and malaria.

Usually, chikungunya joint pain lasts for about a week or two. However, in some cases it can also persist for months or even longer.

Here are some effective natural home remedies for chikungunya fever.