The state health department has decided to increase the number of fever clinics at block-level hospitals and assign health workers on door-to-door visits of fever patients in six Bengal districts where dengue cases have seen an alarming rise over the past few weeks.

Senior health officials said the move was similar to what the health department took during the Covid-19 outbreak in rural areas last year. On Saturday, 616 confirmed dengue cases were reported from Bengal.

“Dengue is a threat to Bengal this year as the number of cases is increasing alarmingly, especially in six Bengal districts. Although dengue is not infectious like Covid-19, delay in treatment may result in death. So, we are taking steps, including increasing the number of fever clinics and door-to-door visits, to arrest dengue in rural areas,” said a senior health official in Calcutta.

The six districts are North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Darjeeling and South 24-Parganas. The health department has also increased monitoring in Jalpaiguri and Malda. In the first week of September, the state reported 1,854 dengue cases, of which 906 are from rural areas, deemed unprecedented by some public health experts.

Frontline health workers ASHAs (accredited social health activists) and ANMs (auxiliary nurse midwives) will now conduct follow-up visits at houses of dengue patients to know if patients have complications.

“For dengue patients, hospitalisation at the right time is vital. Most patients die from delay in hospitalisation as platelet counts can dip fast,” said a health official.

Sources said the health department had asked district magistrates to focus on sanitation and cleanliness in dengue-hit areas. They have been advised to involve local rural bodies to locate patients with fever and send them to a nearby hospital for pathological tests. The health department has also cancelled Durga Puja leaves for health workers in Bengal following the rise in dengue cases.

Test fee plea

The health department on Saturday held an online meeting with private hospitals and laboratories and asked them to charge rationally for tests for dengue and malaria.