Dengue scare to continue till mid-November: officials

New Delhi -- Health officials admitted Wednesday the mosquito-borne dengue fever that has claimed 107 lives with nearly 6,500 people being treated in hospitals and clinics across India will abate only by mid-November.

"The dengue cases would continue to be reported till mid-November as this is the normal pattern every year. We are trying our best to control the spread of the virus," said D.S. Negi, Delhi's health secretary.

"We hope our efforts would yield some results and the virus would be controlled early this year at least."

Delhi remained the worst affected state with 94 new cases being reported taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,731. The total death count in the national capital is 35.

The latest victim was 25-year-old Rohit Sharma from Uttar Pradesh who was brought to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Wednesday in a serious condition and he died within an hour.

"His platelet count had decreased considerably leading to his death," said D.K. Sharma, AIIMS medical superintendent.

The impact of the spread of the virus was also seen at AIIMS, which is spearheading the fight against the deadly virus. Twenty-seven new patients were brought in, totting up to 170 confirmed cases.

"Another 180 patients are under observation. The numbers could well increase, I do not think there will be any respite from the viral fever in the near future," said Sharma.

There was little respite in other parts of the country too with 5,804 people being treated in hospitals and clinics since the disease assumed a virulent form.

The dengue virus is spread by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in stagnant water. The disease is marked by high fever, skin rashes and pain in the joints. A sharp drop in the patient's blood platelet count can prove fatal.

As the post-monsoon period of September to October each year is known to be favourable for the breeding of the mosquito, experts continue to hope for a reprieve soon.

Apart from Delhi, cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Two new cases of chikungunya were also reported in the country taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,653 while the number of suspected cases has crossed 1.3 million.

The maximum number of confirmed chikungunya cases were reported from Maharashtra (679) followed by Karnataka (294), Andhra Pradesh (248), Gujarat (160), Tamil Nadu (111), Madhya Pradesh (62), Kerala (38), Delhi (28), Rajasthan (24) and Pondicherry (9).