NEW DELHI, Oct 18: The death toll in India from dengue fever reached 107 on Wednesday, as authorities struggled to contain the mosquito-borne virus.

“Four people who were admitted here died this (Wednesday) morning,” said an official at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the country’s premier facility in New Delhi.

A federal health ministry statement said 5,710 cases and 103 deaths from dengue — a viral infection transmitted to humans through bites of female Aedes mosquitoes — had been reported across the country till late on Tuesday.

New Delhi and neighbouring states have been worst hit by dengue with 1,637 cases followed by southern coastal Kerala state which reported 794 cases, the health ministry said.

Dengue causes a severe, flu-like illness and can lead to internal bleeding.

School children in New Delhi and some other parts of the country where dengue has been reported have been ordered to wear their winter uniforms to protect their skin from mosquito bites.

AIIMS admitted 27 news cases on Wednesday and has set aside some 300 beds for dengue patients, an official said.

Besides dengue, an outbreak of chikungunya — another viral disease spread through the Aedes aegypti mosquito — has affected 1,651 people nationwide.—AFP