At least 6,712 people have been afflicted with chikungunya in the national capital, with 1,473 cases of the vector-borne disease being reported in the last week. Nearly 5,300 cases were reported in the city till October 1, according to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates the data for vector-borne disease cases in the national capital on behalf of all the civic bodies here. Among the three corporations, 618 cases have been reported in areas under NDMC, 560 under SDMC and 253 under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) this season. Delhi and other parts of north India are facing a spike in chikungunya cases after nearly 10 years, with the experts claiming that the rising number of cases could have been due to "evolution" in the chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In 2006, over 13 lakh suspected cases of chikungunya were reported, the data said.

Source: dna October 10, 2016 15:11 UTC