Bhubaneswar, Sep 26 (IANS): The number of people infected with dengue has soared to 671 in Odisha this year with 72 more cases reported in the state in the past two days, an official said here Wednesday.

"Seventy-two people have been tested positive (for dengue) in the past two days. Of them, the highest number of people, 37, belonged to the coastal Balasore district," M.M. Pradhan, joint director of the state health department told IANS.

Another coastal district, Ganjam, has reported 15 new cases, Pradhan added.

The death toll due to dengue, however, remained at four as no fresh deaths have been reported from any part of the state, he said.

While most of those infected by dengue received treatments at their homes and were cured, the number of people currently undergoing treatment for the disease in various hospitals in the state was around 15, Pradhan said.

Trained volunteers have been pressed into service to carry out awareness campaigns in the affected areas to reduce the spread of the infection, he said.