Impact of Declaring Dengue and Malaria as Notifiable Diseases on Surveillance and Control Efforts in Delhi

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue and Malaria are major vector-borne diseases that cause recurrent outbreaks in Delhi and posing significant health challenges. In order to strengthen surveillance and improve outbreak response, the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi declared dengue and malaria as notifiable diseases in October 20211 mandating all clinical establishments to report confirmed cases to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). This paper examines the impact of this policy change on reporting patterns, public health responses, and disease control outcomes.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of secondary surveillance data was conducted for the period 2018-2023. Data were obtained from annual Vector-Borne Disease reports of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)2 compiled weekly from cases reported through the integrated Health information Platform (IHIP)3 portal and other Hospitals directly reporting to nodal agency ie Municipal corporation of Delhi as earlier. The pre-notification period (2018-2021) was compared with the post-notification period (2022-2023) to evaluate changes in reporting trends, surveillance activities and public health interventions. Data were reorganised and analysed using Microsoft Excel and presented in tabular form.
Results: Following the notification in October 2021, reporting of dengue increased substantially due to mandatory reporting by all healthcare facilities. Reported dengue cases rose to 9,613 in 2021 and 9,266 in 2023, compared with lower numbers during the pre-notification period. Malaria case showed relatively stable reporting trends, with 167 in 2021 increasing to 263 cases in 2022 and 426 cases in 2023. This mandatory reporting led to enhanced surveillance accompanied by intensified vector control measures, increased information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns and stricter legal enforcement against mosquito breeding sources.
Conclusion: Declaring dengue and malaria as notifiable diseases significantly strengthened disease surveillance and reporting mechanism in Delhi. Mandatory reporting improved case detection and enabled timely public health interventions highlighting the importance of policy-driven surveillance systems in the effective and timely containment of vector borne diseases transmission through targeted vector control measures and elimination of mosquito breeding sources.

How to cite this article:
Mishra S, Jain P, Verma L R, Ahir S P, Impact of Declaring Dengue and Malaria as Notifiable Diseases on Surveillance and Control Efforts in Delhi. J Commun Dis. 2026;58(1):153-157.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202620