Take 650 mg of paracetamol instead of the usual dose of 500 mg – this is what Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat advised dengue patients amid reports of the disease affecting 4,800 people in the state.

Rawat was on Wednesday, 25 September, reacting to claims that the mosquito-borne disease had become an epidemic in Uttarakhand this year.

"Dengue is far from acquiring epidemic proportions in Uttarakhand. Consuming 650 mg paracetamol and taking some rest cures one of the disease," the chief minister told reporters in Dehradun.

Meanwhile, DG, Health, RK Pandey told PTI that the total number of dengue cases reported in the state this year reached 4,800 on Wednesday.

The official said the majority of the cases has been reported from Dehradun, where so far 3,000 people have been diagnosed, followed by Haldwani with 1,100 cases reported.