Kolkata: Fewer dengue cases have been reported in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area of Salt Lake and Rajarhat-Gopalpur so far this year, compared to the infection tally of last two years.
The number of cases has remained below the 50-mark till date, this year.
Last year, BMC had recorded a total of 774 dengue cases in Aug alone. On the contrary, only 40 cases have been detected this year so far.Civic officials said Sept would be a crucial month to prevent any possible surge in infections.
The govt has issued special guidelines to all municipal bodies across the state, including the BMC and the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), with focus on taking up improved conservancy measures to reduce vector load.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), however, has been kept out of the purview. Civic bodies have been asked to intensify measures like cleaning up roads, drains, proper collection and disposal of household waste and sanitising markets. BMC has been sending notices to all state and central govt offices across Salt Lake to keep their premises clean and prevent stagnation of water as the authorities are conducting dengue control drive.
Door-to-door visits are being conducted to collect data and generate awareness on preventive measures. The authorities are spraying larvicide in dengue-prone areas. “Extra precautions are being taken as this is the usual time for dengue cases to increase,” said a BMC health department official.
In adjacent New Town, the NKDA has been following a 13-point action plan like identifying dengue hotspots, block-wise larvicide spraying and other measures to prevent any possible outbreak in the township. Sources said very few cases have been reported in the township so far, this year.