Centre alleges West Bengal government not sharing dengue data

KOLKATA: Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar on Friday said that the West Bengal government has not shared any information on dengue outbreak with the Centre, despite repeated requests.
Bharati, who was in the state capital to participate in the 16th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD), said the Centre was constantly trying to guide the states in controlling the vector-borne disease but the Bengal government is not responding.

“Our portal receives feedback from all states, but West Bengal has not shared any information on this despite our repeated requests. We have not received any information on how many dengue patients are in West Bengal, and also the number of deaths. This information must be shared with the Centre,” she said. “Without information, providing help is not possible,” she added.

However, the West Bengal government, pointing to glitches in the Centre’s website, claimed that it has been sharing information. When asked about the minister’s allegation, state director of Health Services Siddhartha Niyogi, who was also present at the programme, said, “Even after the information is shared with the Centre, the website is updated late. The state health department has been sending information for many months.”

According to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases and Control’s website, West Bengal last provided dengue -related data on September 30, mentioning 239 cases and zero deaths. Sources in the state health department said that over 50 people have died and 52,000 people infected since the beginning of the outbreak this season.