Kolkata records 654 fresh cases of dengue in a week
Times of India | 8 October 2022
KOLKATA: In a continuing onslaught dengue claimed the life of a teenager on Thursday night. Sayan Haldar (16), a resident of ward No. 10 under the South Dum Dum Municipality, died of dengue at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. So far, dengue has taken the lives of four children in the city and its surrounding areas this year.
With Kolkata reporting a total of 654 new cases in the past one week, the city continues to be rattled by the dengue surge. Health experts stated that the dengue menace would continue for a few more weeks.
Sources said Haldar had been admitted to the Gorabazar Municipality Hospital on Sunday night with high fever and he tested positive to dengue. Later, the teenager was shifted to RG Kar Hospital after his condition had deteriorated.
Many children have been suffering from dengue and under medical care across the city. Doctors said infants below one year and obese children are at a higher risk for severe dengue. Institute of Child Health (ICH) Kolkata has treated close to 40 dengue-affected children in its paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) this year. Dr BC Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences has nearly 20 children undergoing treatment for dengue.
“Parents should keep in mind that detecting infection at the earliest and initiating treatment on time are two important factors to tackle dengue. All the children who have come to our PICU got treatment on time. Fortunately, we have not lost any child to dengue this year,” said ICH associate professor of paediatrics, Prabhas Prasun Giri. Despite a slight decrease in the state’s overall weekly dengue tally, Kolkata still has a slight rise. From 4,744 cases in the 39th week across Bengal, the number dipped to 4,678 in the 40th week. In Kolkata, the weekly tally moved up to 654 from 621 in the 39th week. The cumulative dengue positive count for Kolkata this year till the 40th week is 2,800. This has surpassed the cumulative tally for 2018, which was 1,560, and 2019, which was 1,630 when the city witnessed similar dengue outbreak.
“Water accumulation after the recent spells of rain may pose a dengue threat. But we can expect a significant drop in number by October end once the rain goes away and the temperature and humidity start going down,” said a health official.
Even as North 24 Parganas sees a declining trend with 992 cases in the past one week. Some other districts with declining trend are Howrah, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas while the districts like Murshidabad, Darjeeling and Bankura see a spike along with Kolkata.