KMC chalks out steps to combat dengue outbreak

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has chalked out elaborate measures to stop the outbreak of Dengue in the city on the onset of monsoon.

Atin Ghosh, member, Mayor in Council (Health) along with the senior officials of KMC’s health department on Friday conducted the weekly review meeting. 

Ghosh along with Debashis Biswas will be going to Delhi to attend a meeting called by the union health ministry on Dengue between July 31 and August 2.

It may be recalled that the Union Health Ministry had lauded the KMC for taking measures to combat spread of the disease last year.

The KMC will conduct intense campaigns in the city when hoardings will be put up at important 

road intersections, leaflets will be distributed and health department workers will inform the people 

about the dos and don’ts to prevent the disease through public address system in every ward.

The surveillance has been intensified and people have been requested to clean the containers 

where water is stored at least once a week.

The overhead tanks and underground reservoirs should be covered and flower pots should be cleaned at least once a week.

The KMC teams visits the houses and request the owners of residential buildings and secretary of the 

cooperatives in case of apartment blocks to replace the covers of overhead tanks and underground reservoirs if they are found to be missing.

There are five Dengue detection centres in the city where blood samples collected by the health department workers are tested.

Meanwhile, civic officials have asked people not to panic as political parties and people with vested interests often try to malign the civic body by creating panic. Civic officials urged people to go to the blood collection centres situated in the wards and get tested in KMC laboratories.

Recently, a political party raised hue and cry about the spread of Dengue in the hostel of R Ahmed Dental College on Linton Street in Ward 60. 

Senior KMC officials visited the site and later held a meeting with the principal of the dental college Tapan Giri.

It was found that of the three students afflicted with the disease, M Sardar was tested NSI positive but IgM negative.

The test was done at a private laboratory. In case of Sohali Moinuddin, NSI was found to be negative. After five days of fever, IgM test was conducted and it was found to be negative. The test was done in a pathological laboratory in Behrampore. In case of Dibyendu Saha, IgM was found to be negative.