Delhi was the worst hit state as 79 new cases were reported even as three deaths in the capital took the total toll to 54. The number of patients admitted in hospitals was 2,537, the officials said.
They said the dengue deaths could be attributed to the fluctuating day temperatures that were ideal for the virus-carrying mosquitoes to breed.
"The temperature during the day normally hovers between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. This is the ideal range for the breeding of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito," said Delhi health secretary D.S. Negi.
Till the temperature does not fall further and puts a stop to the breeding of mosquitoes, dengue cases cannot be controlled, he said. "Most of the deaths taking place are of patients who were admitted earlier," said Negi.
Apart from Delhi, the states affected by the virus are Rajasthan (972), followed by Kerala (849), West Bengal (779), Punjab (657), Uttar Pradesh (555), Maharashtra (582), Gujarat (461), Haryana (366), Tamil Nadu (309), Andhra Pradesh (94) and Karnataka (92).
Delhi is also struggling to cope with the rise in chikungunya cases as their number has reached 32 while 1,682 cases were reported in the country.
Officials said that eight new cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh Sunday.
The maximum number of confirmed chikungunya cases were :Maharashtra (679), followed by Karnataka (294), Andhra Pradesh (248), Gujarat (170), Tamil Nadu (116), Madhya Pradesh (70), Kerala (38), Rajasthan (24) and Pondicherry (nine).
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