Dengue infects hundreds more in India

An outbreak of dengue fever has spread to more states with hundreds of additional cases of the mosquito-borne infection being reported, officials said on Saturday.

Eight more people died over the past two days taking the death toll to 46, while the number of infected people rose by more than 400 to 3,331.

The disease, which began spreading in late August and was first detected in the national capital New Delhi, has now been reported from 12 of the country's 29 states.

The new states include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in the south, Gujarat in the west, and West Bengal in the east.

"It's a serious problem," health secretary PK Hota told Reuters.

"It is certainly a failure because we know this will happen each year but still we can not take adequate action against it."

Dengue cases peak in October, a prime time for mosquitoes to breed after the end of monsoon rains.

Delhi has reported 18 deaths and the highest number of infections, which are close to 1,000.

Civic authorities in the city have been running a campaign asking residents to empty their water-coolers and even flower vases to remove breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's son-in-law and two grandsons were admitted to a city hospital with symptoms of dengue, local media reported. Fumigation was carried out at his residence as a result.

The virus, which occurs mainly in the tropics, causes symptoms such as fever, severe headache, joint and muscular pains, vomiting and rashes.