Dengue death toll goes up to 125

Besides 2,051 cases of dengue, 1,665 people have been diagnosed with chikungunya all over the country.

The outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue virus has killed at least 125 people in India, the health ministry said on Monday.

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"A total number of 7,100 cases and 125 deaths have been reported from India as a whole," up to late Sunday, a ministry statement said, noting seven more dead since Friday.

With 2,051 cases, New Delhi and neighbouring states have been the worst hit by the viral infection transmitted to humans through bites of the female Aedes mosquitoes.

Besides dengue, the ministry also said 1,665 people had been diagnosed with chikungunya, another viral disease transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

However, posted on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website is a statement that "more than 1.25 million suspected cases (of chikungunya) have been reported from the country (India)."

The government of Kerala said last week that chikungunya had claimed 86 lives amid reports of tens of thousands of cases.

But the Central government said the deaths were not directly attributable to chikungunya as the victims had been weakened by other underlying conditions such as heart problems. Chikungunya causes high fever and headache, but is rarely fatal, according to the WHO.