Uttar Pradesh dengue figure rises to 435

Lucknow -- The dengue virus continued its spread across Uttar Pradesh with 44 new cases, taking the total to 435, while the chikungunya viral disease started showing up in many areas Monday.

Though the death toll from dengue stands at 11, the state recorded 44 new cases since Saturday. The spread of the disease has been confirmed in 36 districts.

Chikungunya is on the rise with 16 of the 37 samples examined at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences testing positive.

While chikungunya is largely confined to a handful of districts in Bundelkhand region in southern Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow remains the worst dengue affected district with as many as 112 cases detected and three deaths in government hospitals alone.

According to V.S. Nigam, state health department spokesman, "Dengue fever has been on a steady rise over the past 45 days, and gradually more and more areas are getting affected by the virus."

"Chikungunya is not as deadly as dengue and fortunately there has not been a single death on its account in Uttar Pradesh."