New Delhi: After the outbreak in Kerala, Delhi's first chikungunya patient of the year, 36-year old Archana Gupta, reportedly came to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital last week with a fever.

When her blood sample was taken to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, it tested positive for chikungunya.

Hospital authorities have not yet been able to inform Gupta, but hers is unlikely to be the only case in the Capital.

In Kerala, the virus has claimed 52 lives in the last two months. The state's health department says around 400 cases have been reported.

In Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, 21 cases have been reported, 16 people have tested positive for chikungunya in Karnataka, and 10 people in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has assured the state's residents saying that there is no need to worry as compared to last year, the outbreak has been very low this time. Also, there have been no cases reported in Bangalore.

The government has said that chikungunya this time cannot be described as an epidemic as the number of afflicted people are very low.

However the state government has ordered the health department to start fumigation and mosquito killing programme from Thursday.

However, the Kerala government has been stung by criticism of its handling of the chikunguniya epidemic in the state that has claimed at least 40 lives in recent weeks. The state government on Wednesday defended steps taken by it to contain the spread of the viral fever.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan lashed out at those spreading rumours about the fever and was quoted by news agency PTI as saying: "It is as if this is the first time that a fever has struck Kerala. This is done by people who want to tarnish the image of the state government. Have you all forgotten what all types of fever hit Kerala when P Sankaran, (Congress minister) was health minister in 2001-04)?"

Meanwhile, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan hastened to assure that the spread of the fever has been arrested by the steps taken by authorities and Armed forces. "We have allocated Rs 10 million each to Kottayam and Pathanamitta districts and Rs 5 million each to other affected districts to augment the work in sanitation and also for buying medicines, mosquito nets and fogging machines," Achuthanandan said.

The Opposition Congress is meanwhile demanding the resignation of the state Health Minister P K Sreemathi.