Dengue strikes 3 of PM's family

Manmohan's son-in-law and two of his grandsons test positive for the disease, reports Vidya Krishnan. Your take | Pics

Dengue has hit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's family. On Wednesday, his son-in-law Vijay Tankha and grandsons Rohan and Madhav tested positive for the disease at AIIMS. Tankha is the husband of Singh’s eldest daughter Upender.

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The dengue toll in the city, meanwhile, has risen to 15. Reshma, 14, from Meerut, and Rehmat Ali, 18, from Hauz Rani, died at AIIMS on Wednesday. Twenty-six new cases have been reported at AIIMS in the past 24 hours.

Tankha is the head of the philosophy department at St Stephen's College and his family lives on its campus. Even so, as a precaution, the New Delhi Municipal Council has started fogging in the Race Course Road area, where the prime minister lives.

Madhav, 17, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, and Rohan, 11, and Tankha on Wednesday. "All three have tested positive for dengue… their condition is stable," said a senior doctor on the condition of anonymity. AIIMS spokesman Dr Shakti Gupta said he would be able to give the details on Thursday.

Sanjaya Baru, press adviser to Singh, confirmed that the prime minister's grandsons were unwell, "but I am not making an official statement as the PM's family has always preferred to stay away from the public glare".