Bengal witnesses sudden spurt in dengue cases

Kolkata | With 1,633 fresh cases reported in 16 districts in 20 days, West Bengal is witnessing a sudden surge in dengue cases, an official of the state health department said on Monday.

Among the worst-affected were 15 districts in south Bengal, with Malda being the only affected district in north Bengal, he added.

"Dengue infections are on the rise in the districts of Murshidabad, Bankura, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, and Kolkata. Murshidabad tops the list with 382 new cases and a total of 851 infections. In Kolkata, the number of cases has increased to 328," the official told PTI.

On June 24, the total number of dengue cases in West Bengal was 2,761, which rose to 4,394 by August 13, he stated.

"Over the past month, heavy rain has led to waterlogging in various parts of the state. This created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes," the official said.

On August 14, a resident of south Kolkata's Parnasree area died from dengue, the health department official said.

According to the state health department's data, 67,271 people were infected with dengue in West Bengal in 2022. In 2023, the state saw its worst outbreak in 12 years, with nearly 1,07,000 cases reported. The number of cases next year dropped to 31,100, he added.