With two fresh cases reported last week, the number of people suffering from dengue in the National Capital has reached 77. Five fresh cases of dengue also reported in a week, taking the total number to 72 this year.

According to data provided by municipal corporations out of total dengue cases, 31 patients who diagnosed with the disease belong to Delhi while 25 patients traced here were from different states and other 12 patients did not provide their address.

Meanwhile, mosquito-breeding has been reported in at least 28578 households in Delhi and 23598 legal notices have been issued and 639 numbers of prosecutions launched this year, according to data released by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The dengue breeding checkers have checked 10739929 premises.

A senior SDMC official said that all the preventive steps have been taken to reduce the cases. “The key to prevention of Dengue is ensuring there is no clean stagnant water in homes and around, which does not allow the Aedes mosquitoes to breed, and therefore dengue cannot spread,” he said.

Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clear, standing water while those of malaria mosquito thrive even in dirty water. Doctors have advised people to take precautions and ensure that there is no breeding of mosquito larvae around them. They have urged people to wear full-sleeves clothes and use mosquito nets.

The malaria parasite is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which bite mainly between dusk and dawn.  According to the World Health Organisation malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium. Human malaria is caused by four different species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. vivax.