Dengue fever continued its spread in the Indian capital city Tuesday with 40 new cases being admitted, bringing the total number to 997, according to Indo- Asian News Service.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences is where most of the dengue patients flocked to both from New Delhi and outside. Since Monday, the hospital admitted 34 new cases even it discharged a similar number of patients.

Dengue has claimed 51 lives across the country, with 23 in the capital alone. The total number of patients in the country stands at 3,613.

Up to date, there are 8,000 units of blood available in the capital's blood banks. Around 30 hospitals have been provided links to the blood bank to help provide blood when needed.

Since Monday, 1,300 units of blood have been given to patients admitted in various Delhi hospitals.

Apart from New Delhi, states with large number of dengue cases include Kerala with 713, Gujarat 424, Rajasthan 326, West Bengal 314, Tamil Nadu 306, Maharashtra 226 and Uttar Pradesh 214.

Dengue, caused by the bite of the female aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in stagnant water, is marked by high fever, skin rashes and joint pain. Sometimes a sharp drop in blood platelet counts due to the disease can prove fatal.

Source: Xinhua