Malkangiri: Dengue scare has gripped the district as 44 persons have been afflicted by the disease in the last 15 days with the locals blaming the civic authorities for lack of preventive measures to check its spread.
According to official sources, all 44 dengue patients have been admitted in the district headquarters hospital. Of the total cases, 26 are from Malkangiri town, one from Balimela town, 6 from Chitrakonda block and 9 from 6 other blocks.
With Malkangiri town accounting for most of the dengue cases, the locals have accused the municipality authorities of neglecting in cleaning the garbage dumps, choked drains and stagnant rainwater which have become the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
Malkangiri chief district medical officer Prafulla Nanda said since the township has reported maximum dengue cases, a special drive has been launched to identify the patients. Asha and Anganwadi workers have been directed to collect blood samples from each house in the town for laboratory test to confirm the disease, he added.
