Bhubaneswar, Aug 16 (PTI) The Odisha capital city reported 67 cases of dengue infection in the last 24 hours breaching the 1200-mark, state Health Minister Naba Kisore Das said on Monday.

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The city has been reeling under a spurt in dengue cases which is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito, most active for about two hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset.

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“Confirmed dengue +ve cases in the capital city breached the 1200 mark with the detection of 67 new cases in the last 24 hrs.

“Prevent dengue by ensuring that mosquitos do not breed in the surroundings. Take the right precautions starting today,” the minister tweeted.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that since January, as many as 1,286 dengue cases have been detected thus far of which 957 people have been cured.

The BMC and health officials visited 16,608 households, covered a population of 70,278, and destroyed 43,637 breeding sources.

A dengue awareness drive has been launched in the state capital, he said adding that a "Dengue Rath" has been going around the city to make people understand how the vector-borne disease spreads and measures to contain it.

The Health Department has asked people to visit state-run hospitals like the Capital Hospital, AIIMS, RMRC, and Khurda District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for free testing.

It said the menace could be tackled if people keep their surroundings clean.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)