As more than 1,000 suffer from chikungunya, Delhi minister Kapil Mishra joined the fogging efforts.
The chikungunya outbreak in Delhi claimed five more lives today, taking the total number of deaths to 10. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain will hold a crisis management meeting soon. The Arvind Kejriwal government has said that "no matter what", various agencies and political parties will have to work together to tackle chikungunya.
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Delhi Water minister Kapil Mishra, who met Arvind Kejriwal in Bangalore where he has undergone a throat surgery, quoted the Chief Minister as saying, "We have to fight these diseases together, forgetting politics. No matter what, we will have to be united in eliminating these diseases and mosquitoes."
Mr Mishra, who along with BJP lawmaker Manoj Tiwari was seen wielding fogging machines in some pockets of Delhi, underscored the need for what he called "One Delhi for the next few days" and "breaking the walls between the LG, Centre, the Delhi government and the MCD".
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, who had been abroad, came back and held a meeting this evening to review the situation and appealed to the people to help control the spread of mosquitoes.
The Union Health Ministry has sought a detailed report from the Delhi government on deaths due to the outbreak of chikungunya and directed officials to remain alert to prevent it from escalating further.
Emphasising there was no need to panic over the surging cases of chikungunya and dengue, Union Health Minister JP Nadda sought people's support in stopping the breeding of mosquitoes. "Every family must pitch in as the breeding centres are at homes. We need to check that there is no waterlogging," he said.
After meeting Mr Nadda today, Delhi health Minister Satyendar Jain said, "Mr Nadda has also agreed with me, chikungunya not the cause of death. There's no need to pressurise hospitals to admit in chikungunya cases."
The minister announced a probe into the chikungunya-related deaths at the Apollo hospital yesterday -- where five patients have died so far -- pointing out that no deaths have taken place at the hospitals under the Delhi government.
More than 1,000 people are undergoing treatment for the mosquito-borne disease in Delhi. Doctors say the disease is not fatal but complications can occur only if a patient suffers from chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
As the health crisis worsened yesterday, with 10 patients of dengue and chikungunya dying in 24 hours, the Arvind Kejriwal government and the BJP-led Centre had entered a blame game. Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party had also blamed the civic bodies, saying they had failed in their duty.
Mr Nadda had blamed Mr Kejriwal for the crisis, saying he had not shown adequate seriousness in tackling the situation. The BJP has demanded the resignation of the Delhi Chief Minister.
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