The galloping numbers of dengue cases and five deaths in a week in the city have kept worried many Kolkatans, who are usually busy this time of the year planning Durga Puja celebrations.
Several private hospitals have witnessed a sharp rise in the number of dengue patients getting admitted over the last few weeks. Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said dengue had overshadowed activities related to Covid that the KMC was involved in.
Kolkata has reported over 800 cases since January. Six persons have died of dengue in the Kolkata municipal area since August.
Five of these deaths were reported in last 10 days.
A group of friends in Kasba in south Kolkata who usually meet once a week never discuss such “heavy issues” as dengue. But last week they did so.
“Among other issues, dengue also came up during the adda. I think it was especially because most of us were from Kasba, a neighbourhood that is reporting a very high number of dengue cases,” said one of them.
Another group of friends — from north Kolkata — also went through a similar moment last week.
One of them, a resident of Sovabazar, said the discussion on dengue cropped up because some of them had friends and acquaintances who have been infected with the virus, which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
“A friend of mine had to admit his wife and son to a hospital. The parents of two of my other friends were down with dengue,” said the Sovabazar resident.
A KMC official admitted that everyone was now worried about dengue.
“The Covid vaccination numbers have dropped and people do not seem eager to take the jabs any longer. Combatting dengue has become the bigger priority now,” said an official of the KMC.
The number of recent admissions in several private hospitals in the city showed that such discussions were not without any reason.
All the hospitals The Telegraph spoke to have registered a sharp rise in dengue admissions over the past month. Peerless Hospital had 28 dengue patients undergoing treatment on Wednesday.
A month ago, the hospital had only two dengue patients.
“Among all patients admitted in our hospital, the number of dengue patients is the highest, if any single disease is considered,” said Sudipta Mitra, chief executive officer (CEO) of Peerless Hospital.
At Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital, there were 17 dengue patients under admission on Wednesday.
“We had 20 dengue patients undergoing treatment in the hospital on Monday and Tuesday, which was our highest dengue occupancy this year,” said Rupali Basu, managing director and CEO of the hospital.
Medica Superspecialty Hospital had 19 dengue patients under treatment on Wednesday, said Amit Ray, the deputy medical director of the hospital.
Borough XII, which covers parts of Kasba, Jadavpur and Patuli, has reported the highest number of dengue infections in the city this year.