The health department has confirmed three cerebral malaria deaths from Haveli Kharagpur and Dharhara blocks of Munger district in the past 10 days.

The affected villages are in the district's hilly region, around 200km east of Patna. "Bipin Yadav (42) and his daughter Priya Kumari (12), of Khajechak village, died of cerebral malaria on August 7," said Ram Pravesh Singh, senior medical officer at the Munger Sadar Hospital. He had visited malaria-affected Khajechak village in Haveli Kharagpur along with Munger civil surgeon Srinath.

The third death was of Raj Kumar Hembrom (18) of Mathura village in Dharhara block. He died during treatment at the Sadar hospital on August 14, said Mahendra Kumar, medical officer-in-charge of a primary health centre in Dharhara block.

Mahendra said at least four cases of malaria were turning up at the primary health centre daily. The condition is worse at Haveli Kharagpur. Lal Bahadur Gupta, in-charge of the health centre there, said 10 malaria patients had turned up on Wednesday.