Via Indian Express.com: Dengue dips, chikungunya takes over.
In just about a month’s time, the Capital has witnessed around 33 cases of chikungunya, a virus that causes headache, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and swelling of the joints.
From eight cases that were reported from Palam village on the outskirts of Delhi in September, the number has increased four times in just four weeks.
According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the number of cases is higher than usual and the additional money sanctioned to the civic agency — Rs 35 crore [3.5 million rupees=US$78,989] — to fight dengue and malaria will also be used to contain the chikungunya virus.
While South Delhi localities such as Defence Colony and GK reported the highest number of chikungunya cases, the South and Central zones were the most affected by the dengue outbreak.
However, the dengue virus — which had seen an upsurge in the last two months, with the average number of cases coming to almost 100 every day — is now on the decline, with only 59 positive cases being reported on Saturday and the total count touching 5,485.
