Dengue toll rises to 17 in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: Two more people died of dengue in private hospitals in Orissa Thursday, taking the toll in the outbreak of the infectious disease to 17 this month, an official said.Apollo and Vivekananda Hospitals have reported one death each, an official of the state health control room told IANS. The men died belonged to Angul district which has been worst hit by the mosquito-borne virus, he said.As many as 53 new patients were tested positive for the virus alone Thursday, taking the total cases in the state to 349, he said.The latest cases were 42 in Sriram Chandra Bhanj Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack and 11 in Veer Surendra Sai Medical College at Burla in Sambalpur district, he said.The official said dengue cases have been reported from 21 of Orissa's 30 districts and of them, the highest 192 were tested positive in Angul where the disease was mainly concentrated and most deaths have taken place.