In the past two weeks, about 18 people in West Burdwan district have been infected with dengue, including 12 in Asansol Municipal Corporation area and three in Durgapur Municipal Corporation area.

Three other cases are reported from Salanpur, Kanksha and Faridpur-Durgapur block.

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Dr Yunus Khan, chief medical officer health (CMOH) of West Burdwan district admitted that the district health department has geared up with the awareness drives and increased health check-ups in the concerned areas, besides the civic bodies have also been advised to clean their respective localities.

All of them are under treatment and conditions of all of them are stable at present, the CMOH of West Burdwan added.

Both the Durgapur Municipal Corporation and Asansol Municipal Corporation have started monitoring in their respective wards and health department and sanitation department workers have been directed to work together in the dengue hit wards.

Dr Dipak Ganguly, health officer of Asansol Municipal Corporation said that out of the twelve infected people, one student has come from Bengaluru and one migrant labourer has returned from Chennai. “We are keeping a tab on the situations,” he said.

In abandoned or under constructed houses and buildings the officials of civic bodies have been sent to inspect whether rain water is accumulating.

A meeting on the issue has been called shortly in which the district magistrate of West Burdwan, S Ponnambalam will also be present.

Though monsoon has just begun in the district, but it is yet to peak and the long monsoon season will continue for the next three months. This year, the IMD department has predicted a normal monsoon in the country. In the past few years, the monsoon arrived late in south Bengal districts.