At least eight persons have died due to encephalitis which has spread in Kailali District in far- western Nepal since the past few days, local district office said Tuesday.

Six persons out of 29 patients admitted for the treatment with the disease have succumbed at Seti Zonal Hospital, local district office said in a statement.

Likewise, of the 12 patients admitted to the Tikapur hospital two died while undergoing treatment.

A total of seven patients were discharged from the Zonal Hospital after recovery while 16 patients are currently under going treatment at the hospital. Additional 10 patients are admitted at Tikapur Hospital, according to the statement.

Sporadic cases of the disease had been detected in Kailali District, some 600 km west of Kathmandu, during April and May, which later turned into an epidemic since the second week of August, the statement noted.

Doctors have been advising people to take precautions in order to protect themselves from the disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes, the statement said, adding, "Seti Zonal Hospital is also providing free treatment to the patients suffering from the disease."

Source: Xinhua