About 900 dengue cases have been reported in Kolkata this year and at least over 200 of these in the last two weeks, an official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said on Sunday.
The official said dengue infections usually start rising from the end of August or September.
The rain last week was followed by Sunday’s warm and humid weather. KMC officials said if similar weather continues for one week, breeding sites for mosquitoes will multiply.
“About 900 dengue cases have been reported in Kolkata so far this year. The number rose fast in the last couple of weeks, when at least 200 cases were reported,” the official said.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary transmitter of the dengue virus, can breed in a spoonful of water, said an entomologist.
The mosquitoes are small container breeders.
KMC officials said all residents should clean their homes once every week to ensure mosquito eggs or larvae, if any, are destroyed.
The website of the World Health Organisation (WHO) says the “dengue mosquito lays its eggs in water-filled containers inside the house and surrounding areas of dwellings (this includes non-used bottles, containers, discarded waste, tyres etc… which hold water).”
“The best preventive measure for areas infested with Aedes mosquito is to eliminate the mosquitoes’ egg laying sites – called source reduction. Lowering the number of eggs, larvae and pupae will reduce the number of emerging adult mosquitoes and the transmission of the disease,” the website says.
