Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (IANS): The number of dengue cases in Odisha this year has risen to 249 with 60 new cases being reported in the past two days, an official said Friday.

"The number of dengue cases has increased to 249. Sixty of them were reported in the past two days," a senior official of the state health department told IANS.

Sixty-eight people in coastal Jajpur district tested positive for dengue, the highest in the state, followed by Jagatsinghpur district which reported 30 cases. Only one death due to the disease has been reported so far, he said.

Most of dengue patients received treatment at their homes and have been cured. The number of people currently being treated for the disease in various hospitals in the state was around 55, he added.

Last year six persons died of dengue in the state while the number of people testing positive for the disease was 1592. This year the figure has remained considerably low due to awareness, he said.