Indian dengue fever death toll hits 102

Dengue fever killed three people in the Indian capital overnight pushing the country's death toll from the mosquito-borne disease to 102 in seven weeks.

All three deaths occurred at New Delhi's premier hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where thousands of people have been treated for the disease since the outbreak began last month, the Press Trust of India said.

At least 92 fresh cases of the sometimes deadly fever have been reported in New Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the number hit by the illness to 1,465.

Across India, 5,036 people have been sickened, PTI said.

Meanwhile, municipal and civic health workers in New Delhi sprayed insecticide or used fogging machines to spray clouds of pesticide to kill mosquito larvae.

The mosquito-borne disease usually spreads as the annual monsoon season tapers off leaving puddles of stagnant water for the insects to breed.

Female aedes mosquitoes transmit dengue, and symptoms include high fever, joint pain, headache and vomiting. It is fatal in rare cases.

India's annual outbreak normally dies off with the end of the mosquito breeding period in November.

Health inspectors have over the past month been visiting congested residential areas asking people to drain out stagnant pools of water left after the annual monsoon. Municipal authorities have also threatened to fine contractors if they allowed water to form puddles at construction sites .

Last week authorities stopped all water fountains in the Indian capital.