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West Bengal Orders House-to-House Dengue Checks and Free Testing
West Bengal is taking extra steps to find and treat dengue cases.
Health workers will visit homes to look for people with fevers.
People who have had a fever for more than two days must be referred to health officials.
Government centres will provide dengue tests for free.
Private laboratories may provide free or cheaper tests where government facilities cannot do them.
People with fever will also be checked for malaria.
Special medical camps will open in places where many fever cases are found.
Officials will clean affected areas and remove places where mosquitoes can breed.
The state says there have been about 4,000 dengue cases this year and has asked people not to panic but to get tested.
West Bengal has ordered intensified dengue surveillance, including house-to-house searches for fever cases.
Government health centres must provide free dengue testing, with subsidised private testing where facilities are unavailable.
Fever lasting more than 48 hours must be reported to an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife or medical officer.
Fever camps will operate from 7am to 9pm in areas reporting rising cases, with medical staff and free medicines.
The state reported about 4,000 dengue cases so far this year, compared with more than 7,600 at the same stage last year.
- Who
- The West Bengal health department, district health authorities, health workers and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
- What
- The state ordered intensified dengue surveillance, free or subsidised testing, fever camps and sanitation measures.
- Where
- Across West Bengal, with focused action in dengue-affected areas including Naoda in Murshidabad and Chakdaha in Nadia.
- When
- The notification was issued on Wednesday; surveillance is to continue until November, and an awareness campaign will continue until October 15.
- Why
- To identify fever and dengue cases earlier, expand access to testing, control mosquito breeding and ensure patients receive timely treatment.
Key facts
- Reported dengue cases
- About 4,000 in West Bengal so far this year
- Comparison with last year
- More than 7,600 cases had been recorded at the same stage last year
- House-to-house checks
- ASHA workers will search villages, towns and suburban areas for people with fever
- Testing
- Free ELISA testing is to be available at government health centres; private laboratories may provide free or subsidised tests where needed
- Fever camps
- Camps will operate from 7am to 9pm in areas with sharply rising fever cases
- Disease monitoring
- Authorities must monitor malaria alongside dengue
- Case reporting
- District authorities must report daily the number of people identified with fever and tested for dengue
Sources
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