Official death toll now five Despite claims by the State Government that adequate measures have been taken to contain the spread of dengue, the number of patients affected by the deadly disease is rising menacingly and has now crossed the 2,000-mark. The number of dengue positive patients, which had stood at 1,958 on Sunday, rose to 2,025 with the addition of 67 new patients who were found positive, on Monday, sources in the Health Department said. Jajpur district tops the list with 741 patients, nearly one-third of the total number of patients in the State. Most of the patients from this district hail from the Kalinganagar industrial area. Besides, 182 patients in Keonjhar, 179 in Baleswar, 173 in Bhadrak and 134 in Dhenkanal district have been detected as dengue positive. While the Government has so far confirmed the death of five dengue patients, unofficial sources put the number of casualties much higher. Experts have pointed out that dengue continues to be active in the State despite recession in rainfall. The deadly virus has spread to 26 of the State’s 30 districts with dozens of patients getting admitted to several Government and private hospitals every day, reports said.