Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (IANS): Three more persons died of Japanese Encephalitis virus on Wednesday in Odisha's Malkangiri district, taking the death toll to 48.

Three children admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the district hospital had died, said Chief District Medical Officer U.S. Mishra.

About 61 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital, with five admitted in the ICU. Fifteen children have since been discharged, said District Collector K. Sudarshan Chakravarthy.

Meanwhile, the District Collector served a show-cause notice to 22 nodal officers of the district for alleged dereliction of duty in tackling the Japanese Encephalitis.

While 64 nodal officers were assigned to supervise distribution of mosquito nets in affected villages and submit reports to the collector, 22 of them failed to do so within the stipulated time.

With the killer virus spreading to neighbouring districts, Health Secretary Arti Ahuja on Wednesday visited Koraput district and took stock of the situation.

"The department is taking every possible step to prevent the disease," said Ahuja.

She is also scheduled to visit Malkangiri district and discuss the issue with officials there.

The Malkangiri Collector said that more than 12,000 mosquito nets have been distributed in the affected areas so far while fogging and spraying of repellents have been intensified.