Kolkata’s dengue-control operation will continue through the Puja holidays, with health department teams inspecting closed schools, colleges and government offices for stagnant water and mosquito larvae, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. Rapid response teams will also monitor puja pandals and adjoining fair areas during the festival period.
The inspections are intended to identify water accumulation in institutional premises that remain closed during the holidays. Where mosquito larvae are found, the health department will undertake measures to eliminate them. The operation will cover schools, colleges and government offices across the state during the holiday period, the report said.
The department’s teams will also visit puja pandals on Saptami and Ashtami to check whether water has collected around bamboo structures, tarpaulins or other parts of the temporary installations. Municipal-level rapid response teams are being formed to monitor large pandals and fairs located near them.
The measures come as dengue cases continue to be reported in parts of Kolkata and neighbouring districts. The report said infections had been detected in several areas of north Kolkata, as well as in the suburbs and districts adjoining the city. It did not provide a statewide case count or identify the locations of specific breeding sites.
The health department is also planning telephone follow-ups with dengue patients recovering at home. Officials will contact them daily to check their health condition during the Puja period, according to the report. The arrangement is intended to maintain contact with patients who are not admitted to hospitals.
Private hospitals and nursing homes will be required to provide daily reports of fever tests conducted during the festival days. The reports will be collected by the health authorities to track suspected dengue cases and monitor the spread of fever-related illness, the source said.
The department has additionally instructed hospitals and nursing homes not to deny admission to dengue patients. Any hospital or nursing home found turning away a patient could face action under the directive reported by Sangbad Pratidin.
A district-level meeting on dengue control is scheduled to take place once again before the Puja celebrations. The meeting is expected to review the preparedness of health teams and municipal rapid response units. The report did not specify the date of the meeting, the number of teams being deployed or the enforcement mechanism for premises where larvae are found.
The holiday inspections place temporary and closed urban spaces within the same dengue-control system as residential areas and public venues. The health department’s reported plan combines surveillance, source reduction, patient follow-up and hospital reporting during a period when large public gatherings and temporary structures increase the number of sites requiring monitoring.
