07 September,2026 12:10 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
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West Bengal has recorded more than 500 new dengue cases in the past seven days, taking the total number of reported infections in the state this year to over 4,500, according to statistics from the state Health Department.
A Health Department official said the rise in reported cases followed an intensified surveillance exercise across the state after a standard operating procedure for monitoring and preventing dengue was issued on September 2.
As part of the exercise, health workers conducted door-to-door surveillance and arranged immediate blood tests for people showing symptoms associated with dengue, the official said.
The official said the expanded surveillance resulted in more than 500 new dengue cases being identified across West Bengal during the past seven days.
With these cases, the state's cumulative number of dengue infections during the current calendar year, particularly during the ongoing monsoon season, has crossed 4,500.
The figures indicate a steady increase in reported infections since the beginning of the monsoon. Health authorities have been tracking the spread of the mosquito-borne disease through district-level surveillance and testing.
Murshidabad has reported the highest number of cases both in the latest seven-day period and in the overall tally for the year, according to Health Department data.
Of the more than 500 cases reported over the past seven days, 96 were recorded in Murshidabad alone. The district has reported 870 cases out of the state's cumulative total of more than 4,500 cases this year.
Kolkata has recorded the second-highest number of cases, with 402 infections reported during the current calendar year. The city recorded 62 new cases during the latest seven-day period.
The district-wise figures highlight the continued concentration of dengue cases in several parts of the state as health authorities step up surveillance and testing during the monsoon.
The Health Department also provided figures showing the progressive increase in reported dengue infections since April.
According to the department, 770 people had tested positive for dengue in West Bengal as of April 30. The figure rose to 1,946 by July 31 and then increased sharply to 3,966 by August 31.
The total has since crossed 4,500, with more than 500 additional cases detected in the seven days following the latest surveillance exercise.
The increase has coincided with the monsoon, a period when mosquito-borne diseases typically require closer monitoring because stagnant water can create breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
A Health Department official said the reported figures this year were based on confirmed dengue cases and claimed that cases were not being classified under other descriptions.
"However, the good thing is that whatever the figures that have surfaced this year are 100 per cent authentic, without any question of underquoting the affected figure or describing dengue as 'unknown fever' - a phenomenon which was rampant during the last few years. The instructions from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for the medical institutions are very clear. If the case is dengue, it should be reported as dengue and not as any 'unknown fever'. So, the figure this year so far is 100 per cent authentic," the Health Department official said.
The official's comments came amid the department's efforts to improve reporting and ensure that suspected cases are tested and classified appropriately.
Earlier this year, the chief minister had appealed to residents not to panic over the dengue situation amid continued heavy rainfall in the state.
He had acknowledged that the situation required attention but said it was not highly alarming. He also said the number of dengue cases recorded in West Bengal during the current monsoon, while high, remained significantly lower than the corresponding figure reported during the monsoon season last year.
(With inputs from IANS)
