Dengue death toll rises to 41: Delhi count 17

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) Three more dengue deaths took the toll across the country to 41 today as industry body ASSOCHAM warned that if the disease is not curbed, it might lead to less tourist arrivals.

Sixteen of the deaths were reported in the national capital.

Twenty-year-old Dharam Singh, a resident of Badarpur area died at about 0730 hrs at the AIIMS after suffering from dengue fever.

He was admitted to the hospital at about 0430 hrs, doctors said.

Fifty-five-year-old Laxmi Narayan, a resident of Bulandshahr, succumbed to haemorrhagic fever. He was admitted to AIIMS this morning, doctors said.

Eighteen-year-old Rahmet Ali, from Delhi, died yesterday.

The Delhi High Court directed the Centre, the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi to file their replies by tomorrow on the action taken to prevent spread of dengue in the capital.

The total number of dengue cases in Delhi has swelled to 673 , officials said.

Raising concerns over the declining share of tourism in India's services exports, Industry body Assocham today said the situation might further be impacted by the ongoing menace of dengue, if the disease is not curbed timely.

Tsunami in 2004, Mumbai floods, Avian Flu and cross country floods in 2005 did have a severe impact on country's total services exports in the past. It declined from 18.7 per cent in 2003-04 to 14.1 per cent in 2004-05 and subsequently to 12.9 per cent in 2005-06, it added.

If the current threat arising out of dengue is not dealt with at war footings, the tourist arrivals in India during peak season of October 2006 to February 2007 will also witness a substantial fall, the industry body warned.

In AIIMS, 34 new patients have been admitted in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of dengue patients to 99, including 19 resident doctors, students and nurses from the institute, the doctors said.

The doctors said the number of patients being reported from within the institute were decreasing.

While 14-year-old Reshma, hailing from Meerut, succumbed to the viral disease yesterday, 35-year-old Bansi died in the institute after suffering haemorrhagic fever on Tuesday. Sources at Sarfdarjung confirmed that a patient had died in the hospital due to dengue.

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