KMC reports 91% fall in dengue cases since 2023
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has reported a 91% reduction in dengue cases compared to 2023, while excluding 2024 from its year-to-year comparison in the 2026-27 Budget, describing that year as “atypical” following an exceptionally high surge.
According to data presented by the KMC Health department, between January 1 and November 2, 2023, Kolkata recorded 12,334 dengue cases. During the corresponding period in 2025, the number stood at 1106.
The Budget statement notes that total dengue cases in 2023 had touched 13,926, marking an unusually high burden for the city. Following that surge, the civic body intensified vector-management and allied interventions from early 2024. As a result, dengue cases dropped sharply to 1316 in 2024.
However, the document states that because 2024 directly followed what it describes as an abnormal spike in 2023, it should not be treated as a normal baseline year for comparison. The civic body has therefore compared 2025 figures directly with 2023 to assess the broader impact of its disease-control measures
The statement adds that apart from sustained civic interventions, other yet-to-be-established factors may also have contributed to the sharp shift in dengue numbers.
Meanwhile, Malaria cases have also shown a steady decline over the three-year period covered in the Budget. Up to November 2, 2023, the city recorded 9,309 malaria cases. The number fell to 5,187 in 2024, marking a 44.3 per cent reduction. In 2025, cases further declined to 3,725, reflecting another 28.2 per cent drop from the previous year.
The Health department has attributed the overall reduction in vector-borne diseases to intensified mosquito-control drives, year-round surveillance, inter-departmental coordination across wards and active community participation.
The comparative data presented in the Budget conclude that enhanced vector-management activities undertaken in the period after the 2023 surge have substantially reduced the incidence of both dengue and malaria in Kolkata.
