Post-monsoon fever outbreak kills over 100 in Indian state

By BISWAJEET BANERJEE
Associated Press

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Officials say infections following monsoon rains have led to a fever outbreak in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, killing at least 114 people in the past three weeks. The state’s health minister told The Associated Press that most cases were caused by dengue, a seasonal viral infection spread by mosquitoes, followed by leptospirosis, scrub typhus, and malaria. Authorities are scrambling resources to control the outbreak. Makeshift clinics equipped with malaria kits are being set up in villages and mosquito control vehicles are also being deployed to fumigate areas at risk. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, often figures disproportionately among the post-monsoon infection fatalities in the country because of the weak health system.