A month before the Commonwealth Games begin, Delhi seems to be losing its fight against dengue. On Sunday, 59 new cases were reported. In 2009, only four cases had been confirmed till August 29. In 2010, the figure has hit 800. What's worse, the domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) - who go door-to-door to check mosquito breeding - have decided to skip work from Monday.

There are 3,200 DBCs who work on a contractual basis for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). They have threatened to stop work until they are made permanent employees.

The reasons to worry are many. "We have been admitting 15 to 20 dengue patients every day. Seventy-five per cent of more than 50 suspected dengue cases are turning positive on a daily basis," said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, director, Internal Medicine, Max hospital, Saket.

The anti-malaria employees' body is firm on its demand. "They (MCD) have been making false promises for years. We will stop work from tomorrow," said the general secretary of the body, Ashok Chaudhary. The civic agency has said the demand cannot be fulfilled since it is facing a fund crunch.