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.

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.

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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 antivector 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.

According to a medical officer of the urban primary health centre, lack of manpower there, sanitation and communication had been some reasons. The civic body officials said that unlike last year, the civic body will play a proactive role from early this year to control the dengue virus carrying Ades mosquito.

“We have decided to work at the micro level to ensure cleanliness, check stagnant water and raise mass level awareness. The corporation is also asking owners of vacant plots to clean them, else steps would be taken according to the provision of the law. We have focused on ward level meetings with residents to create awareness. The monsoon usually hits the region in June, therefore, April and May are very important for us. We will engage the workforce at the ground level and increase surveillance,” Mr Deb said.

The officials said the listing of high risk sites, including the under-construction buildings, other sources of the hotspots will begin soon. Superintendent of the Siliguri District Hospital Dr Chandan Ghosh said emphasis should be laid on preventive steps. “Cleanliness, no accumulation of clean stagnant water and proper vector control activities are important parts,” Dr Ghosh said.

He further underscored that dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome were serious conditions as the platelet count of the patients dips drastically, increasing complications for the patient.

Physicians said dengue hemorrhagic fever could lead to lethal complications. Its severe form causes Dengue Shock Syndrome, a dangerous complication that is associated with a very high mortality rate as the blood pressure drops down drastically and organs start to collapse. Mr Deb said the civic body will be on an action mode to check dengue cases.

“We had faced problems dealing with the dengue situation last year. Some people had died. But there should not be loopholes this time. We will now conduct a drive for the implementation. Special monitoring will be in place in the wards where most of the dengue cases had been found last year and the areas where there has been a tendency of water accumulation before the monsoon,” he added.

The mayor said cattle sheds will be shifted from the town. The civic body officials said the ‘Pulse Mode Vector Control Activity’ had been started from March.