Combating deadly dengue: Remain vigilant throughout the year, says KMC message

Kolkata: To prevent dengue, remain vigilant and alert from January to December. This is the slogan given by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) before the mega rally scheduled to be held in Kolkata on February 2.

The civic authorities have successful brought down the number of dengue cases to one third because of round-the-clock vigil and sustained campaign.

There will be altogether 145 rallies in Kolkata on February 2. Of these, 144 rallies will be held in the wards while the central rally will be organised at the KMC headquarters on S N Banerjee Road. To make them a grand success, Atin Ghosh, Deputy Mayor in charge of the Health department, along with senior officials sat down with the representatives of 14 NGOs who have been requested to send their representatives in the rallies.

Mayor Firhad Hakim will lead the central rally which will be taken out at 10 am. The participants will carry placards, festoons to create awareness against the vector-borne disease.

The rally will march through Lenin Sarani, Wellington Square, S N Banerjee Road and will end at the KMC headquarters. People from all walks of life including the MLAs and celebrities will be invited to join the rally.

The World Health Organization (WHO)'s slogan to combat dengue is "Dengue prevention is everybody's concern," said a senior civic official. He said the KMC teams comprising senior officials of the health, building and Solid Waste Management (SWM) departments visit state and Centre-run offices, hospitals and employees quarters. They also visit private housing complexes and inspect the overhead tanks, underground reservoirs and garbage removal systems. The official said people will be requested to visit the dengue centres where blood samples are tested free and medicines given to the patients. There are around 16 dengue detection centres in the city.