Delhi Dengue Update: Cases rise to 16 in Delhi, NCR

Dengue cases are continuing to rise in Delhi and the NCR with 16 being reported till July 5, a municipal health officer said Monday. While 13 cases are from Delhi alone, the remaining are from the adjoining areas in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. (Read: Tips to keep common monsoon diseases at bay)

Here are some practical tips to prevent dengue

With the monsoon come various diseases, and one of the most severe one is dengue. Also known as 'break bone fever' it is a painful and debilitating disease spread by mosquitoes. Caused due to the bite of an infected female aedes aegypti mosquito, the disease can be fatal.

Once bitten it takes about four to ten days for the symptoms to show. The most common symptoms are high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pain and in some cases a rash. The more severe forms of dengue are hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. There is no clear treatment for the condition nor is there a vaccine against it, so the best way is to prevent the disease from occurring at all. Here are a few simple and practical tips to keep dengue at bay:

1. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to bite humans during the day and their most common breeding grounds are man made containers. Therefore, it is advisable to not have any stagnant water around. Remember to clean out empty flower pots and not to over water potted plants. If the container that contains water cannot be emptied, remember to cover it well when not in use.
2. Turn over empty pails and buckets, so that they do not collect excess water.
3. Use mosquito repellants regularly. Apply it well on all exposed areas, during the day as well as at night.
4. Make sure your window and door screens do not have any holes. If so, block those areas properly to eliminate mosquitoes. Read more about Prevent dengue with these 10 practical tips