kolkata: Dengue cases in Kolkata increased by 52 per cent in the past two weeks, giving anxious hours to the Health department officials. With a steep rise in dengue cases recently, various civic bodies have been asked to strengthen surveillance in the hotspots, where infection rate is higher.
The number of dengue cases stood around 154 in Kolkata in the fourth week of July, but the number jumped to 235 on August 11. The number of malaria cases is much higher in Kolkata as the figure was registered around 2,700 on Thursday. The number of malaria cases in the city stood around 1,500 in the last week of July. According to Health department data, around 650 dengue cases were detected in the last year while malaria cases remained around 5,200. In 2020, around 720 dengue cases were detected and around 4,000 malaria cases. Dengue malaria cases were comparatively on the lower side when Covid infection was at its peak.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation has already identified around 10 hotspot areas in different areas. According to the experts, the infection rate is higher in Bengal this year as rainfall has been low comparatively this year. In case of heavy rains, mosquito larvae are often washed away. Experts apprehend that the dengue and malaria cases may reach their peak between August and October. During last year maximum infected cases were reported between August and December.
All the civic bodies have been asked to conduct surveillance drives in all the under construction high rise buildings and also to various households to ensure there is no accumulated water. The civic bodies have also been directed to spread insecticides on a regular basis. Health experts in the city observed that 75 per cent of the patients suffering from various vector borne diseases are asymptomatic. Infections are more prevalent among asymptomatic patients.
A Health department official said that more tests are being carried out this year compared to the figures last year. The private laboratories in various districts have already been directed to share data related to dengue malaria tests with the Chief Medical Officer of Health on a daily basis. Some labs were not providing data related to vector-borne diseases.