KOLHAPUR: The menace of dengue still seems to be far from under control as 232 cases were reported in the month of September, of which 158 were from the city and 74 were from rural areas. The report from the health department said that out of the 30 cases reported in the month of October, 24 are from the city, while 6 are from the various rural areas.With this, the total number of dengue cases has reached 1,667 this year. The city area has reported 1,312 patients, while the rural areas have reported 355 patients.The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) health officer Dilip Patil, however, said that the number of dengue cases have dropped due to the KMC’s efficient action plan to tackle the disease this year.“The number of cases have dropped compared to the last few years. The awareness about the disease among citizens is on the rise due to our action plan. The preventive measures remain our top priority,” he said.An official from the health department said that the door-to-door survey conducted by them played a key role in generating awareness among citizens. However, people still need to alter their habits, like neglecting rainwater stored somewhere in a vessel. They need to be alert about what’s happening in their surroundings as well.“If we all act responsibly, the dengue menace can be stopped, and if not stopped, at least the speed with which it is spreading can be reduced,” said the official.According to medical experts, dengue is caused by the bite of one of the many types of mosquitoes in the genus Aedes Aegypti, with white stripes on their bodies and legs. It occurs when the mosquito has previously bitten a person who was infected.The pathway which is followed in the case of incidence of dengue is ‘infected person to mosquito to another person’. The spread of the dengue virus cannot happen directly from one person to another. It is not contagious and cannot spread through direct human contact. An Aedes mosquito is needed for the virus to be transferred.

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