Dengue toll in Delhi rises to 13, cases reported in Varanasi,Bihar

New Delhi, Oct 4 (UNI) The death toll due to dengue nationwide rose to 37 today with two more patients, including a teenaged girl, succumbing to the fever in the national capital where nearly 600 cases of the disease have been reported so far, including the two grandsons of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Reports of patients afflicted with the disease were also received from Varanasi, Nalanda district of Bihar and Chandigarh.

Officials at AIIMS here said 13-year-old Reshma and 35-year-old Bansi died after suffering haemorrhagic fever.

While Reshma died at 0430 hrs today, Bansi, a native of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh succumbed last evening. He had been admitted to AIIMS yesterday morning.

Meanwhile, Dr Singh's two grandsons were also diagnosed as suffering from dengue fever and admitted to AIIMS.

Rohan (17) and Madhav (11), who live at the Prime Minister's official 7 Race Course Residence, were admitted to a private ward of AIIMS with high fever and other symptoms of the disease.

Doctors today confirmed that both had contracted the viral disease caused by Aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in unhygienic conditions, but termed their condition as stable.

However, Union Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss gave a clean chit to the Delhi government and NDMC/MCD about the efforts to contain dengue, while refusing to declare the disease an epidemic.

''I am satisfied with the response of the Delhi government, MCD and NDMC in containing the disease. They have done tremendous work during the past few months issuing a lot of challans, but due to the construction activities going and unseasonal rains the mosquito breeding was more this resulting in the escalation of the disease,'' Dr Ramadoss told reporters here.

Of the 581 cases reported till last evening, 352 were from Delhi alone while 132 were from Uttar Pradesh, 52 from Harayana and nine from Rajasthan, the Minister said, adding that the government has enough medicine, blood and equipment to deal with the outbreak.

However, he emphasised the need to create more awareness about the disease and people adopting measures to stop mosquito breeding.

About the outbreak of dengue at AIIMS, he said that notice has been given to the hospital administration to identify and fix the responibility for mosquito breeding in the premier institute.

At AIIMS, a student -- Raj Kiran-- died on Saturday due to viral fever, while 46 dengue patients have been admitted there, including 20 resident doctors, students and nurses from the institute.

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