Bengal: Dengue cases still remain a concern for health officials

KOLKATA: With the fluctuating weather conditions, dengue cases are still being reported from several parts of the state and it still remains a concern for health officials in Bengal.

According to a recent state Health department report, more than one lakh people have been infected with dengue in the state since January 1 till December 3. The figure has gone up compared to the corresponding figure registered last year. In 2022, around 66,000 people were affected with dengue while the number has crossed one lakh this year.

Incidentally, the dengue situation in the state improved in November with the number of infected cases going down by 1,500 in the second week of November compared to the corresponding figure in the first week of the same month. The number will go down further as the mercury will slide down, feel the experts.

“As the monsoon has withdrawn from the state, the dengue situation in the city and other south Bengal districts improved much. The number of cases reported in the last week of October and first few days of November was comparatively low compared to September,” sources said.

Health experts have pointed out that the rise and fall in mercury in quick succession is causing health hazards among people. Experts have also cautioned that people should be careful against dengue as the current weather system may trigger a spike in cases as the lowest temperature has been hovering around 20 degrees Celsius in the first week

of December.