After Dudhia in the Kurseong foothills, neighbouring Panighatta under Mirik subdivision has been hit by the dengue virus. Sources said at least 14 cases have been reported in the area recently, while around four more cases
were detected last week.

Along with dengue, several cases of “viral fever” have also been reported in the area. Health department officials, however, said the situation was under control. A tiny hamlet of Dudiha, around 26 km from Siliguri, had witnessed a dengue outbreak in July. More than 30 cases had been found in the area then. A section of health department officials attributed the surge in cases in Panighatta to people visiting nearby Dudhia.

The overall dengue situation in Darjeeling district has triggered concerns among health department officials, while most of the cases have been reported in rural areas this year. Around 10 persons have also been tested positive for the dengue virus in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area so far.

Sources at the health department said around 14 dengue cases had been found in the town area recently. “Among the 29 blood samples tested, 14 were found to be positive for dengue. Around four cases were detected last week. At the same time, around 13 persons are suffering from viral fever (in Panighatta),” the sources said.

Local people, however, said that the unofficial figure was much higher than that. Health department officials said that they examined the adult mosquito and larvae there and found that they were of the Aedes albopictus species. The same species of mosquito was found at Dudhia also. There are two main mosquito species responsible for the transmission of dengue in India-Aedes Aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

In urban sites, the former is found to be the main vector, whereas in areas with high forest coverage, it is the Aedes Aalbopictus that acts as the primary vector. According to the Mirik Block Medical Officer of Health, Dr Tashi Lama, necessary steps were being taken to contain the disease.

“Medical camps have been set up and vector control teams are spraying larvicide. A widespread campaign to generate awareness has also been launched, and health workers are conducting house-to-house surveys to find out fever patients. We are taking all the necessary preventive measures,” Dr Lama said.