Dengue Outbreak Grips Kolkata as Cases Skyrocket Over the Past Week

Over the past week, an alarming surge in new dengue cases has been observed in Kolkata, causing concern among health authorities as the Durga Puja celebrations approach next week. But KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim seems to be confident that the graph for affected people, which has reached its peak, will take a downward curve in the next few weeks.

Rising Dengue Cases Pose Threat to Kolkata's Health

“Generally, this is the period when the graph of affected people rises and starts showing a declining trend since the middle of October. So we expect the situation to completely stabilize during the next few days,” he said. Meanwhile, the state health department is maintaining absolute secrecy over the total number of dengue deaths in the state, although unofficial sources quote the figure to be above 50.

Dengue Fever

Dengue, a viral infection, is a result of the dengue virus (DENV) transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. Approximately half of the global population faces the risk of contracting dengue, with an estimated annual occurrence of 100-400 million infections. Dengue is prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions across the globe, predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas. (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Dengue and severe dengue

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However, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that the actual toll will be well above 100 for the present dengue season.

“The state health department is deliberately under-reporting figures. Doctors are often forced to report ‘dengue-related deaths’ as deaths due to unknown fever,” he claimed.

Reference:

1. Dengue and Severe Dengue - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue)

Source-IANS