Delhi government-run hospitals are "on alert" to deal with cases of conjunctivitis, fungal infections and vector-borne diseases, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Tuesday.
Cases of conjunctivitis and other eye infection are on the rise in Delhi, with many doctors cautioning that it is "highly contagious" and proper hygiene behaviour needs to be maintained to check its spread.
Doctors at both government and private hospitals said they have been receiving cases largely from the younger population in the city.
"These cases are coming up due to humidity in the air. Our hospitals are on alert, especially related to cases of conjunctivitis, fungal infections and vector-borne diseases," Bharadwaj told PTI Video.
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Asked if any advisory has been issued by the government in the wake of the rise in cases of conjunctivitis and other eye infection, he said, "There are constraints in getting a government advisory published in a newspaper". He alleged it was due to the central ordinance on control of services in Delhi.
On the dengue situation in Delhi, he said, school students have been asked to wear full-sleeve uniforms, and girls can wear slacks or tights.
"If a student is needy and does not have a uniform, he or she can wear plain clothes to school too," the minister said.
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Nearly 190 dengue cases have been reported in the national capital this year till July 22, the highest for the period since 2018, according to a civic body report released on Monday.
The report by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also said that 61 cases of malaria have been recorded in the same period.
As many as 187 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi this year till July 22. The number of dengue cases reported in July so far stood at 65. It was 40 in June and 23 in May, according to the report.
In 2022, Delhi reported 159 dengue cases between January 1 and July 15. During the same period in 2021, the city reported 47 dengue cases, 26 in 2020, 34 in 2019 and 49 in 2018.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi recently said that there is a possibility of a rise in dengue and malaria cases in the national capital this year due to flooding in several areas.
She added that departments concerned have been directed to take steps to check mosquito breeding and clear the silt and sludge left by the flood waters.
