The death toll in the current outbreak of dengue fever in India touched 93 Saturday, but federal health authorities said the mosquitoes which transmitted the disease were declining due to an accelerated action plan. More than 4,750 people across the country had been affected by the disease which is transmitted to humans though the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, a federal Health Ministry official said. Of the 93 victims so far, 28 were in Delhi. The outbreak of the disease had been reported from 12 of India's 28 states and seven federally-administered territories, the official was quoted as saying by "DPA" news agency. The number of mosquitoes bearing the disease was, however, on the decline, PL Joshi director of the National Vector Bourne Disease Control Programme said. A vector is an insect that transmits a virus. "Recent random sampling and monitoring of the vector density has shown a decline between June and October," Joshi said. He said this should cause a gradual decline in cases of both dengue and chikungunya, another viral disease transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Chikungunya has claimed over 100 lives and affected 1.3 million people across India since July. Both chikungunya and dengue are marked by high fever, rashes and joint pains. Extreme cases of dengue require blood transfusion. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases are common in India during and after the monsoon season that lasts from July to September. The disease incidence usually declines with the onset of the winter season beginning November.
