Panaji, July 29 - More than 100 mine workers in the South Goa district have been infected with chikungunya, Health Minister Vishawajeet Rane said in the state assembly Wednesday.

Rane was speaking in response to a calling attention motion moved by Sanguem legislator Vasudev Gaonkar, who claimed that a chikungunya outbreak was spreading towards the town from the rural areas of Quepem and Sanguem, around 60 km from here.

'The trend that is evolving is that mining workers are affected by chikungunya. More than 100 blood samples have been drawn and have been diagnosed as chikungunya. The outbreak is similar to the one which occurred in Candolim last year,' Rane said, adding that the disease first made its appearance in the mining belt of Quepem and Sanguem in January this year.

'The directorate of health services is monitoring the situation. Additional staff has also been deployed and health surveys in the areas have been completed. The patients affected have been identified,' Rane said.

Chikungunya is a virus which is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes.