Civic authorities warn of penal action against owners of premises which encourage mosquito breeding

Delhi's civic authorities are finally reacting to the dengue bite.

On Thursday, as the city recorded 26 fresh cases of dengue, the highest in a single day this season, civic authorities warned of penal action against owners of premises with high mosquito breeding spots.

Thursday's figure takes the total number of dengue patients in the capital to 464, health department officials said.

Delhi has seen a surge in the number of dengue cases with the last 10 days registering over 20 per day on an average. Two persons have died due to the disease so far. Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain held a meeting of health officers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to review the situation and review the steps taken to check the spread of the disease.

Until now there have been two deaths caused by the diseaseu00a0one of a 15-year-old boy and the other of a nine-year-old boy.