In a bid to combat dengue, the Siliguri sub-division administration has appealed to residents in rural areas to check stagnant water and bushes in and around their households at least once a week.

There are around 1,50,000 households in four blocks under the Siliguri Sub-division. According to health department officials, more than 30 dengue cases have been reported in Matigara, Phansidewa, Kharibari and Naxalbari blocks till early this month.

The Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (SMP) has asked all government departments to go to those four blocks and focus on cleanliness. “The administration and health department are taking steps to curb dengue cases, but at the same time we are requesting the people to check their surroundings-whether bushes have grown up around houses and whether water has accumulated, and take necessary steps at least once in a week, it can be on a Sunday.

We are hopeful such an initiative will help fight dengue and other vector borne diseases,” said the additional executive officer of the SMP Prem Kumar Bardewa. The health department has held a four-day workshop for village surveillance teams (VST) recently to lay more emphasis on awareness among residents during the house-to-house visits. The VSTs have 420 members, most of them women, and vector control teams (VCT) comprise 246 members.

The VCTs conduct spraying and remove stagnant water. There are 22 gram panchayats (GP) in four blocks of the sub division. Each GP has one supervisor. VSTs and VCTs are directed by the supervisors. Sources said the VSTs report to the GPs if they find fever cases and if there is water accumulation. The GPs inform the block medical officer of health on specific issues in the areas.

Meanwhile, around 4 lakh guppy fish have been released in water bodies in the blocks. “The anti-dengue drive is underway in full swing. The SMP has served a notice to government offices already with special focus on not letting water accumulate, which may lead to mosquito breeding grounds. Awareness campaigns are ongoing. People should remove the stagnant water if found,” said an administrative officer. Clean water, even in small containers, can turn into breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti, a vector carrying dengue virus.