Dengue toll rises to 23 in state

Bhubaneswar: With three more persons succumbing to dengue, the toll in the mosquito-borne disease in state rose to 23 on Friday, official sources said.

All the three casualties were reported from separate private hospitals in the city. Out of the three, one belongs to Jharsuguda district who died on August 16, but his investigation report was received today. The other two belonged to Anugul district.

Of the 23 dengue victims, 18 alone belonged to the coal belt in Angul, while the rest four hailed from Balangir, Dhenkanal, Kendrapara, Jharsuguda and Deogarh districts each, the officials said.

Till today the total of 838 samples have been found positive out of total 1945 samples tested. The virus has spread in 22 of the 30 districts of the state, they said.

Most of the patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.