With the Monsoon intensifying in this hill state, as many as 25 more people were contracted by Dengue, rising the total number of cases to 355.

State Communicable Disease Surveillance Officer Sonum Negi told UNI that out of 84 tests conducted for Dengue infection in the state, about 25 people had contracted the deadly virus, including half dozen of inmates of the Sports Authority of India, Sports Hostel at Bilaspur.

He said following the outbreak of Dengue among the students, the SAI decided to close down the hostels in the area. Meanwhile, most cases of Dengue were pouring in from urban areas. Bilaspur is the most-affected district in the state as out of 355 Dengue cases, 211 were in Bilaspur alone, followed by Parmanoo area of Solan, where 140 people have contracted the disease so far, he added.

Two cases each were recorded in Tanda and Mandi areas, while most of the patients reportedly migrated here from dengue-prone areas. He said the Health Department had taken samples of 1285 people, out of which 355 tested positive for Dengue. Dr Negi said this hill state happens to be least affected by the deadly virus, however, the first case of Dengue was reported about three years back, when an infected student from Bengaluru tested positive in the area.

Only urban people and mostly those areas where people migrate in large number, are on the scanner of the Health department. Dr Negi advised the people to regularly clean their water coolers and not allow water to be pooled and stranded near the habitation. He said teams of Health department, along with other state agencies, were conducting fumigation in the outbreak-prone areas.