8 September 2010 / REUTERS, NEW DELHI
An outbreak of dengue fever threatens to add to the headaches of Commonwealth Games officials already struggling with deadlines and a major clean-up of Delhi.
Almost 1,300 cases, including three deaths, have been reported in the city since June and organizers are trying every trick in the book, including “mosquito fish,” to stop the spread before the Oct. 3-14 Games. Local media reported that 24 participating countries have written to Games organizers seeking assurances of the steps being taken to curb the outbreak. More than 3,000 workers contracted to monitor the spread of the disease are threatening to strike if they are not regularized by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Chief Medical Officer of the Games Bharatinder Singh said organizers, along with MCD and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), were doing their best and there was no need to panic. “Of course the visiting athletes will have to take precautions but we will do everything to keep them safe and secure,” Singh told Reuters. “I don’t think the situation is bad enough to scare them away.” The dengue scare is the latest problem for organizers, who have already missed several deadlines to get venues ready and are struggling to clear debris all over the city after large-scale construction and face-lifting projects. Monsoon rain has made it worse and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the stagnant pools at some of the construction sites were breeding mosquitoes.
