The city of Kolkata has registered 2,800 Dengue cases from January 1 till October 5 this year, a health department official said on Monday. According to the official, the city in 2019 had registered 1,630 dengue cases during the same period. The data of dengue cases in 2020 and 2021 during the same period is not available.
The metropolis had also reported 654 dengue cases in the first 40 weeks, the highest since 2018, the official told PTI when contacted. In 2019, Bengal had registered a total of 6,157 dengue cases.
"Things are not at all good regarding dengue cases in Kolkata as well as in other neighbouring densely populated areas. In Kolkata, we have found a record rise in the number of dengue cases. Since January, we have found 2,800 cases in Kolkata alone which is a record in itself," the senior official from the state health department said.
On Sunday, Bengal reported 792 new dengue cases from different parts of the state. Referring to the extended monsoon this year, the health department official expressed apprehensions about a further surge in the number of dengue cases in and around the metropolis and other parts of the state.
"This year the monsoon is still continuing and because of that the number of dengue cases is likely to go up. Because of this rainfall, the stagnated water is not being cleared and mosquitoes are having a heaven of breeding places. Following this festive season, we believe that the dengue situation will worsen," he told PTI.
Not only that, we are having several pandals erected here in different parts of the city which are leaving holes where rain water is being accumulated helping mosquitoes to breed, he said.
The state health department has asked the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to step up door-to-door vigilance to keep a check so that water is not accumulated anywhere at those places. When contacted an official of the KMC health department said that necessary directives have been given to each borough and ward in this connection.
"We have taken strict measures to keep a check that water is not accumulated anywhere. We have asked puja committees to keep eyes open in this regard," the official said.
(With PTI inputs)
