SMC to boost efforts to keep dengue at bay

The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to boost round-the-year surveillance to curb dengue. Health experts have focused on the prevention of the disease from the early stages.

- SANKHA GHOSH

Officials said the enumeration of the high-risk sites will be carried out so that necessary steps could be taken to destroy the mosquito breeding sites.

Siliguri had recorded around 5500 dengue cases, the highest in the town in the last 10 years, and at least 23 dengue-positive persons, including children, died till early December last year. The unprecedented surge had landed the corporation in a tight spot. Some more cases were reported this year.

According to public health experts, multiple factors, including slackness of the civic body in serious anti vector activities, delayed steps in destruction of mosquito breeding grounds, prevention of water accumulation at construction sites and lack of cleaning of vacant plots, had contributed to the situation last year. They also pointed out that inadequate awareness among people had led to the record number of cases in the civic body area.