68 more dengue cases in Delhi, total now 2,153

NEW DELHI - With the national capital reporting 68 new cases of dengue Friday, the total number of people infected with the vector-borne disease reached to 2,153.

Five people, including one from outside Delhi, have died due to dengue this year in the capital, said an official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

According to the MCD, 1,153 dengue cases and three deaths were reported in 2009, 1,312 cases and two deaths in 2008, 548 cases and one death in 2007, and 3,366 cases and 36 deaths in 2006.

Dengue symptoms include high fever for four to five days, usually accompanied by severe headache, body pain, muscle and joint pain and rashes. After the fever subsides, the blood platelet count starts dipping.