The Hindu : National : Dengue outbreak in Kolkata

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Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

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Dengue outbreak in Kolkata

Special Correspondent

At least 19 persons have died in three weeks

KOLKATA: An outbreak of dengue in the city and some of the districts has sent civic and State health authorities into a tizzy.

At least 19 persons have died and more than 2,100 afflicted with the disease since the first case was reported nearly three weeks ago.

Twenty-three deaths over the past fortnight owing to "an unknown disease," resulting in high fever and caused by an unidentified virus, have been reported from Malda district. Japanese encephalitis has not been ruled out, a health official told The Hindu over telephone on Tuesday. The local health administration has no facility to isolate the virus although the number of patients admitted to the district hospital jumped up with more than 130 fresh admissions in the past two days.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities said the spread of dengue had been brought under control and steps like extensive spraying through fogging machines were being taken in different parts of the city. Leave of employees in the civic health and conservancy departments has been cancelled in the wake of the outbreak. Doctors are being inducted into the Health Department on a temporary basis.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who expressed concern over the large number of dengue attacks, is keeping a close watch on the situation.

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