An outbreak of 'chikun guniya,' a mosquito-transmitted viral fever, has been reported from 29 villages of Nasik district in Maharashtra and over 500 people who showed symptoms of the disease have been hospitalised, state health directorate officials said on Monday.

Malegaon was the worst affected area from where two cases out of 18 samples sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had been declared positive for the fever, the officials said.

"Several people have been affected by this mosquito-transmitted disease in Malegaon and of the 18 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, two cases have been declared positive for the disease," P P Doke, director general of the directorate of health, told PTI.

However, the disease, a milder form of dengue, has nothing to do with bird flu, the officials said.

Last week, state Public Health Minister Vimal Mundada told the assembly that during the last three months, the health department had detected around 14,000 fever cases in 90 places across Maharashtra.