The disease is passed on to humans by mosquitoes which breed in swarms in the vicinity of places like Delhi’s Athletes Village and Games venues due to flooding during monsoon rains and can be a killer in extreme cases.

Nearly 1,500 cases have been reported already in the Indian capital, including 18 members of India's cycling team preparing for the Commonwealth Games, which are due to be opened by Prince Charles on October 3.

But England's Chef de Mission Craig Hunter claimed his team is well researched on the illness and will be taking every measure to prevent contracting the debilitating illness, which symptoms include a rash, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting

He told insidethegames: "Dengue fever is no different for us than any one of the other 70 nations at the Games in that we must prepare accordingly for it.

"The important thing, and you say this to athletes about every challenge they face, is that you have to be the best prepared.

"If being the best prepared against dengue fever means wearing long sleeves, long trousers and using the appropriate repellent sprays to ward off the mosquitoes, then that is what they should do.

"We’ve briefed all of our sports about that and we have amazingly professional athletes who I am certain will take suitable precautions."

Hunter also claimed that he has no fear about terrorism overshadowing the Games.

Delhi Police are in charge of overall security and transport arrangements for athletes and delegates during the Commonwealth Games but there remain concerns that the city could be under threat following high profile attacks in India in recent years such as the terrorist bombings in Mumbai in 2008.

But despite the security fears, Hunter, who is in charge of 371 athletes including double Olympic gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington (pictured), claimed that everything that is possible has been done to ensure the security of the competitors heading to India.

He said: "I wouldn’t be getting on the plane if I wasn’t happy with the security arrangements and I think that’s true for all the team members.

"We haven’t had anybody withdraw from the team on the basis of any challenges surrounding security and I value my life just as much as anybody else does.

"But seriously there are great arrangements in place and we feel that it will be a fantastic Games so we’re really looking forward to it."

England’s team for Delhi is set to be the countries' biggest team in the event’s 80-year history and Hunter admitted that he is very excited to now be flying out for the Games despite the problems they have faced.

He said: "It’s been a solid year of planning and preparation so it’s good to be getting on the plane on Friday night (September 10) and actually tackling those final few challenges face-to-face in Delhi to make sure everything is as it should be before the first of our athletes start arriving in just over two weeks time."

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