Death toll from dengue rises to 9 in Indian capital

The death toll due to dengue in India's capital has risen to nine after a 43-year-old man succumbed to the disease Monday night in hospital, local media reported on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, more than 1,800 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi till Sept. 12, with 600 in last week alone.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an emergency meeting of local lawmakers in charge of health and directed them to visit hospitals twice a day to meet patients "till the panic of dengue is done away with," according to Indian Express online.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain also launched a 24/7 helpline number to provide all relevant information about dengue and its treatment.

But Jain also said there was an "urgent need" to dispel the notion of panic. "This panic in people about the spread of dengue is leading to a huge burden on hospitals," he said.

The government is also checking houses in residential areas to ensure that all sources of stagnant water are treated.

This is the worst outbreak of dengue since 2010.

But public health professionals, however, said the worst was yet to come, said local daily The Hindustan Times.

"The disease normally peaks in the second and third week of October, so the numbers are going to go further up," the newspaper quoted Dr. Ekta Gupta, additional professor at the department of virology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, as saying.

The government has blamed the weather pattern, saying it was difficult to eliminate the disease as dengue mosquitoes get active with an increase in humidity.

Officials also urged the public to be careful not to let water collect in residential areas as mosquito breeds in fresh water. Endi