The number of dengue patients in Ganjam district rose to 52 with eight more persons found infected with the disease on Friday.
Health officials have confirmed that all patients suffering from dengue fever had got infected at their workplaces outside the State. Most of them had worked in Hyderabad and Bengalur.
Blood samples of 17 patients were received by the MKCG Medical College Hospital on Friday. Of them, eight samples showed positive for dengue. All these patients are now undergoing treatment at the special dengue ward in the MKCG Hospital.
A special drive has been undertaken to inform people about preventive measures against dengue in villages like Sheragada and Govindpur, said District Malaria Officer Dr R Jagadish Patnaik.