NEW DELHI: Two more patients died here in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the dengue outbreak to 28.

With 95 new cases reported on Saturday, the total number touched 1,373 — Delhi accounting for 892 cases and the neighbouring areas 481. Apart from these, dengue patients have been admitted to private hospitals across the city.

Farhana (25) from Hauz Rani died in the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday, its spokesman Shakti Gupta said. "We have screened 921 people for suspected dengue in our outpatients department. At least 200 people have been kept under observation, while 39 patients have been admitted." Since Friday, 34 patients had been discharged.

The other dengue patient died in the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

According to the figures released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi registered 892 cases of dengue including 812 from the Corporation area and 29 from the New Delhi Municipal Council area.

Health officials maintain that the number of cases reported in hospitals has declined in the past few days.

"We are trying to bring the situation under control and we are sure the dengue outbreak will be contained soon," said Delhi Health Secretary D.S. Negi. Free emergency ambulance service would be provided to the critically ill.

Mystery fever

PTI reports from Barasat:

Two persons have tested positive for chikungunya in North 24 Parganas district even as the number of people afflicted with a mystery fever in West Bengal rose to 1,235 on Saturday, a health official said.

Kusum Adhikary, Chief Medical Officer, North 24 Parganas district, said two of the seven blood samples sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune tested positive for chikungunya.

Of the 1,235 cases of mystery fever reported from four villages in Baduria-Ramchandrapur gram panchayat, nine were dengue cases and the others seasonal and viral fever, besides one case of typhoid.

Mr. Adhikary said the people were being treated symptomatically. However, the incidence of fever reported on a daily basis had been declining since the beginning of September. Seven medical camps, three of them mobile, were set up in the area, he said.

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