Odisha dengue cases rise to 671

The number of dengue cases in Odisha has rose to 671 this year with 72 new cases of dengue reported in the state in the past two days, an official said on Wednesday.

"Seventy-two people have been tested positive (for dengue) in the past two days. Of them, the highest number of people, 37, belonged to the coastal Balasore district," M.M. Pradhan, joint director of the state health department has been reported telling to IANS.

15 new cases have been reported from Ganjam, another coastal district, said Pradhan.

However the number of lives lost to dengue remained at four as no fresh deaths have been reported from any part of the state, he added.

Pradhan said that most of dengue patients received treatments at their homes and were cured; the number of people currently getting treated for the disease in various hospitals in the state was around 15.

Pradhan also said that trained volunteers have been deployed to carry out awareness campaigns in the affected areas to minimize the new infections.

--with inputs from IANS