Viruses, dengue & pollution plague Calcutta, citizens at low due to trail of diseases
Telegraph | 24 November 2025
A combination of viruses, deteriorating air quality, seasonal shifts, and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes has laid many Calcuttans low.
People are experiencing symptoms such as fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, and nasal and throat irritation, which doctors attribute to the combined impact of increased viral activity owing to changes in temperatures and rising air pollution as winter approaches.
The transition of seasons is a period of heightened virus-induced infections, said doctors. Poor air quality exacerbates the trouble as pollution weakens the body’s defence mechanisms.
A Chetla resident had to cancel a weekend meet with friends owing to illness. “I have been feeling feverish with a runny nose and sneezing for the last four days. I could not have met my friends as I am feeling extremely weak,” said the man in his 50s.
A Behala resident, too, has been out of action for about three days. “My wife tested positive for dengue about three weeks ago. Just when she recovered, I was down with a feverish feeling and a runny nose,” he said.
A New Town resident has been experiencing a runny nose and irritation in the nose and throat since Saturday afternoon. “There is an ache in my gums,” he said.
Doctors said the infections are self-limiting in most cases. They are not prescribing tests to identify the virus, unless the fever continues for several days.
“The activity of viruses usually peaks during season changes, and there is a greater possibility of people getting infected. Viruses are not as active during winter or summer when the temperature is stable,” said Chandramouli Bhattacharya, infectious disease specialist at Peerless Hospital.
The deteriorating air quality has acted like a double whammy, making matters worse, he said.
According to the National Air Quality Index, prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), two out of seven air quality monitoring stations in Calcutta reported “very poor” air on Sunday.
The air quality was “very poor” in Victoria and Jadavpur, “poor” in Ballygunge, Bidhannagar, Fort William and Rabindra Bharati, and “moderate” in Rabindra Sarobar at 10am on Sunday.
According to the index, very poor air quality can cause “respiratory illness on prolonged exposure”, poor air can cause “breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure”, and moderate air can lead to “breathing discomfort to people with lung, asthma and heart diseases.”
Bhattacharya said the drop in air quality has also led to aggravation of illness in those who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“Three of my patients, who had respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD, have been admitted to the hospital because their symptoms aggravated. The pollution is a factor that can lead to aggravations in respiratory diseases,” he said.
The fine particulate matter can enter the bronchi and narrow the airways, which makes breathing difficult, he said.
Rupam Sil, an ENT consultant at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, said that a bulk of his patients were coming with complaints of a runny nose, irritation in the nose and throat, sore throat, sneezing and coughing.
“Most of these are cases of seasonal allergic rhinitis. People are also getting down with fever,” said Sil.
Children are also being affected, stated paediatricians.
“Complaints of fever, runny nose, sneezing and coughing are very common among kids, but they have not assumed the proportions of an epidemic,” said paediatrician Apurba Ghosh, director, Institute of Child Health.
To add to the woes, fresh dengue cases continue to be reported in large numbers every week.
An official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) stated that 134 new dengue cases were reported between November 9 and 16, the last weekly report prepared by the civic body.
A 36-year-old woman in Kasba was suffering from fever since November 16 and was diagnosed with dengue.
“We were very worried. Thankfully, the fever subsided after four days, and she did not have to get admitted,” said her husband.
Since January this year, 1,379 dengue cases have been reported in Calcutta.
The rate of new cases being reported in October and November is more than that reported in previous months, said a civic official.