Saturday, September 10 2005 17:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The toll in the outbreak of dengue in West Bengal has risen to 18 with one more death reported from Howrah district, official sources said today (Sep 10, 2005).

''A 50-year old man, Utpal Dutta, died in Malipanchghara area of Howrah district yesterday (Sep 09, 2005),'' the sources said.

They said that a total of 235 cases diagnosed for dengue yesterday, 12 were found to be sero-positive.

Quoting district-wise reports, the sources said Kolkata municipal areas accounted for 1013 cases of affliction, the highest.

The WB Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and Health minister Suryakanta Mishra said on September 5 that dengue has assumed epidemic proportions; Kolkata Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya has disagreed saying that some of the deaths could be attributed to the disease and the others had died of malaria and viral fever.

Dengue cases are being reported for the past one-month.

The sources said, till yesterday the number of afflicted was 103 in North 24-Parganas, 60 in South 24-Parganas, 38 in Howrah, 37 in Hoogly, 48 in Salt Lake, 22 in Malda, 31 in Nadia, 26 in Burdwan, 25 in Birbhum, eight in Murshidabad, seven in Midnapore East, three in Midnapore West, four in South Dinajpur, besides one each in Bankura and Darjeeling.