With eight more persons succumbing to Japanese encephalitis, the death toll due to the killer disease, which has turned into an epidemic in eastern Uttar Pradesh, rose to 450 on Monday. 

Official sources said as many as 30 new cases were reported from Gorakhpur and close to 2,000 people were undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

The sources said fogging was being done in 10-20 villages per day and more than 500 villages have been covered so far.

The Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation has issued notices to pig-farm owners to shift elsewhere and over 1,000 piggeries had been disinfected, they said.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Communicable Desases has confirmed 114 encephalitis cases out of 199 blood samples sent to them for testing, Additional Director, Health, Dr D P Mishra said.