Kolkata: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to hold a review meeting on dengue and other vector-borne diseases with health officials and commissioners of civic bodies on Tuesday at Swasthya Bhawan.While dengue cases have remained far lower this year compared to previous years, public health experts said vigilance is essential as the monsoon season is still underway and cases could rise.According to sources, commissioners of at least two civic bodies — Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporations — along with executive administrators of other municipalities, will attend the meeting. Representatives of the urban development and municipal affairs department, transport department and railway authorities have also been invited.Although dengue is a notifiable disease, the govt has not been updating its dengue data with the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control for the past two years. While data is being updated this year, health officials said the latest figures are yet to be shared with the Centre.Health officials said around 1,000 dengue cases were reported across the state in Aug, with most cases coming from Kolkata, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and Murshidabad. The state has so far reported 7 dengue-related deaths, officials claimed. Last week, an 11-year-old boy from Dum Dum died days after testing positive for dengue.Experts said cases usually begin trickling in by July, rise sharply during Aug and Sept and decline thereafter. The state witnessed a massive dengue outbreak in 2023, one of the biggest in about a decade.Hospitals across Kolkata, which typically see a rise in malaria and dengue cases during this period, said they are currently receiving very few cases and most patients are not seriously ill.
