Seventeen persons have tested positive Thursday morning to take the total number of infected persons to 444.
Fifteen of the new cases are men from Kachanakawal rural municipality of Jhapa aged 18-46 years, according to the Health Ministry. One is a 34-year-old man from Dhankuta and the other a 51-year-old woman from Dharan.
Health of all 17 persons is normal and they are in contact with health professionals, according to the ministry.