KMC takes guard to neutralize rain effect

KOLKATA: Intermittent rain on Wednesday kept experts and the city’s civic guardians on tenterhooks. Microbiologists and experts in public health expressed concern over the rainfall at a time when dengue has threatened to take the shape of an epidemic in the city. The city’s civic guardians have now decided to take guard in the wake of a pattern of rain which may trigger another dengue panic.
According to experts, a similar wet spell had led to a spurt in dengue deaths earlier this month.“Since the temperature is yet to drop sufficiently, light rain could cause a rise in cases. The virus is still active and the mosquito-breeding cycle could be activated again by the rain. Had it rained heavily, the larvae would have been wiped out,” said Arindam Biswas, consultant, general medicine at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS).
Every wet spell has been followed by a spurt in dengue cases and deaths, said Irfaan Akhtar, microbiologist. “This will invariably lead to a spurt. Fresh water is bound to collect after the drizzle stops, helping the Aedes aegypti larvae to hatch,” said Akhtar.
Atin Ghosh, member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC health department, sounded an alert after Wednesday’s rain. Ghosh said a rapid action force (RAF) formed with experts from the KMC vector-control department will swing into action in areas where dengue cases had been on the rise in the past month.
“I appeal to all councillors to lend a helping hand to the vector-control team in identifying the potential mosquito-breeding areas in the wake of a scattered rain which can change the situation for the worse,” Ghosh told councillors at the KMC monthly session.
The MMiC also announced that the health department will disburse Rs 10,000 to each councillor to conduct awareness drives in their respective wards. According to a health department official, the dengue scenario which had become really bad in large parts of south Kolkata, including Kasba, Dhakuria, Jadavpur, Bijoygarh, Bansdroni, Behala and Kidderpore, and in areas off EM Bypass could turn worse after the rain on Wednesday. “We need to take action or else the dengue will turn worse in another 15 days before the winter sets in,” a senior health department official said.