Kerela has been hit by a dengue outbreak killing at least 21 people in the past three weeks. Shortage of medicines and health workers to tackle the crisis in the tourist hotspot has further worsened the situation, government officials say.

Reports indicate that more than 11,000 people in Kerala since May, forcing the state to buy new hospital beds and cancel medical staff leave.

"We are staring at a massive health crisis," Kerala's director of health services, R.L. Sarita, said on Tuesday. "There's a shortage of medicines and health professionals to tackle the situation."

She also added that more than 40,000 people were suffering from high fever in Kerela and that the government was planning to set up emergency medical camps in schools and temples.

Dengue cases - found in the world's tropical and subtropical regions - have increased 30-fold over the past 50 years, according to the World Health Organisation. Up to 100 million infections occur annually in more than 100 endemic countries.

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