Patna, Oct 24 (IANS): With more than 30 dengue cases reported in Bihar till Friday, the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) here has set up a separate ward for dengue patients and the state government has sounded an alert, officials said.

"Nearly half of the dengue patients detected so far are from Patna alone," Sambhusaran Singh, a health official said.

Singh said concerned officials have been directed to take preventive measures and provide proper treatment to dengue patients in view of the rising number of new cases in the past few days.

Dengue claimed one life in Patna last week when Abhay Kumar of Transport Nagar succumbed to it, officials said.

PMCH official Sudhansu Kumar said that a special dengue ward with 30 beds has been set up with 10 beds reserved for emergency cases.

Dengue patients have been admitted to various hospitals including the PMCH, said officials

Dengue cases have also been reported from Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Samastipur, Saran, Nawada, Begusarai and Bhojpur districts, a health official said.

Bihar health minister Ramdhani Singh said that he had directed hospital authorities across the state to provide adequate treatment and medicines to dengue patients.

"I asked all the district civil surgeons to ensure measures like proper sanitation, regular fogging and spraying to prevent spread of dengue," he said, adding that the situation was under control.