CMC teams on early dengue watch

Calcutta: The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has started sending notices to houses where accumulation of water has been reported by field workers, the early alertness coming from lessons learnt during previous outbreaks of dengue.

A resident of Kasba was taken aback by a notice pasted outside his apartment with a warning that failure to keep the surroundings free of potential breeding places for mosquitoes would invite a fine.

Never before had municipal workers made a visit to his apartment building for a check.

A senior official said the CMC had realised that it is impossible to prevent an outbreak of dengue or malaria unless citizens were made aware of the consequences of letting mosquitoes breed.

"The visits and the notices being slapped on households that are not taking corrective measures are part of the effort to drive the point home that everyone needs to play a part in preventing vector-borne diseases," said a doctor in a CMC clinic.

Sources in the CMC's health department said field workers had first verbally warned households where they came across places where mosquitoes can breed.

"We usually give people enough time to take corrective measures. If they don't show any inclination to act, we file a case against them in the municipal court," an official said.

The CMC is banking on its advance initiative to prevent an outbreak of dengue like last year. The State Vector Borne Disease Control and Seasonal Influenza Plan, 2018, states that 2,374 dengue cases had been reported in the areas under the CMC in 2017, up from 1,686 in 2016. The report mentions 1,619 cases in 2015.

The civic authorities plan to use a drone to take aerial pictures of terraces of apartments that are inaccessible to field workers. "Our people are not allowed to enter many apartment buildings for checks. In any case, it is impossible to check every terrace. A drone can be of help," the official said.