Rare meningitis infections go up in Delhi

Since the outbreak was first reported earlier this month, 15 people have died and hospitals have reported new cases almost daily, a New Delhi health ministry official said.

Chief minister Sheila Dixit called a meeting of health officials and municipal officers Monday to devise ways to stop the disease, which has spread from the heart of New Delhi to outlying suburbs.

Health secretary S.P Aggarwal told reporters after the meeting that "the biggest worry" was that 14 of the cases had come from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, raising fears that it was spreading across the region.

"We have sent letters to the families of the patients telling them to take precautions," said Aggarwal.

"The chief medical officers of these states have been instructed to tell people who have come into contact with the patients to get antibiotics immediately to prevent the infection from spreading," he added.