Fakir (7), a resident of Okhla Mandi, lost his fight against dengue on Thursday and became the capital’s first victim of the virus this year. Fakir breathed his last at AIIMS. His younger brother, meanwhile, is still fighting for his life. “Fakir’s reports came in Friday morning. We are still
awaiting his brother’s medical reports,” said Dr N K Yadav, Municipal Health Officer, MCD.

“Although the boy is a Delhi resident, he contracted the virus in Bihar where he had gone for a vacation with his mother and younger brother. We will record his death as an “imported” one as it wasn’t a case of locally acquired infection,” said Dr Yadav.

According to MCD records, the city hospitals have so far reported 26 dengue cases. Private hospitals, however, insist the cases are much higher.

Medicine experts across the Capital fear a dengue epidemic this season, going by its four yearly cyclic trend.

“This year, compared to previous years, dengue has struck quite early. Usually, we see high number of cases in September October but this season we are already getting a huge number of patients,” said Dr S P Byotra, head of department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

With the onset on monsoons and so much construction work going on ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the MCD, the civic body responsible for tackling the mosquito menace is finding it hard to check the breeding of mosquitoes.

On Thursday, MCD officials had issued challans to four sports stadia designated for the Commonwealth Games 2010 for poor upkeep and maintenance. The executive engineer of the Yamuna Sports Complex, safety officer at the Games Village, the maintenance officer at the R K Khanna stadium and the superintending engineer Public Works Department (PWD) were issued fines.

Besides, G B Pant hospital, Delhi Metro Rail Project in Saket where construction activities are in full swing, leading to large pools of fresh water which are ideal for mosquito breeding were also issued steep penalties.