KOLKATA: A fresh case of dengue has surfaced in
Dum Dum that had turned into the epicentre of the dreaded disease in the northern part of the city last time.
Dipak Dey, a resident of
Nagerbazar, who was diagnosed with dengue last week and was admitted to a local nursing home, was released a few days back. But the incident has triggered panic among the locals as monsoon, the ideal breeding season for mosquitoes, is yet to set in. Dey is yet to recover from weakness.
The area near his house in Nagerbazar, under South Dum Dum Municipality, had reported several cases last year. Rampada Ghosh, a resident of ward 25 of
South Dumdum municipality, said, "If a fresh case has been reported, it is a concern for us."
Ghosh's seven-year-old granddaughter was diagnosed with dengue last year and was admitted to a city nursing home.
Over the past few days, municipal volunteers found mosquito larvae in houses in several areas. "We identified at least three houses in Bharati Colony, Ward 25 where mosquito larvae were found in stored water," said a civic volunteer. Water stored in residential units has always been a concern for the civic bodies that are fighting the disease.
The chairman of South Dum Dum Municipality, Pachu Gopal Roy, said, "Tackling such situations is difficult for us as our volunteers can't force entry into houses. We have now decided to paste stickers in front of the units that do not allow the volunteers inside. We shall paste separate stickers in front of the houses where volunteers find mosquito larvae."
"But a bigger threat for us are the few areas under the central government. The water body inside an
Army camp near Private Road, a factory in Ward 35 and a railway carshed are some of the few areas where we do not have access. But these areas are potential threats for the locals," Roy said.
Meanwhile, both Dum Dum and South Dum Dum municipalities have started vector control drive in the respective areas. A progress report of the vector control drive will also be presented at the meeting with
KMDA early next month.
