Fresh spells of rainfall have aggravated dengue menace, say health experts

The fresh spells of rainfall that hit several North and South Bengal districts have aggravated dengue menace in the city and other South Bengal districts pushing the infection count further on a daily basis, health experts have pointed out.

Sources said that over 7,000 fresh cases of dengue infection have been reported in the last one week across Bengal.

The number of infected cases has crossed 10,000 in North 24-Parganas while Kolkata has seen over 5,000 cases so far this season. The number of infected people also crossed 5,000 mark in Murshidabad followed by Nadia with over 4,000 and Hooghly with over 3,000.

The state Health department has been monitoring the situation under various civic bodies, which have been conducting anti-larvae operations in various areas.

The civic bodies are also identifying vulnerable areas and localities and sharing information with the Health department. A senior official from the Health department, who did not want to be quoted, said that the cases of dengue had shown signs of easing in September but due to continuous heavy rains, the numbers may go up again.

North 24-Parganas, Kolkata and Murshidabad have registered the highest number of dengue cases so far with North 24-Parganas being the worst hit.

Public health experts in Bengal claimed that dengue will subside after it stops raining and the temperature drops below 15 degrees Celsius. The dengue situation might have turned worse due to sporadic rainfall during Durga Puja, opined the experts.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently held a meeting on dengue and issued necessary instructions. The state Health department had already issued standard guidelines regarding the treatment of dengue patients in hospitals.

According to unconfirmed sources, nearly 50 people have so far died of dengue in the state. In a separate incident, the state on Wednesday registered the first death due to Kalazar where a 47-year-old

man died of the disease in the School of Tropical Medicine.