Bengal dengue cases increases to 570

The number of confirmed dengue cases in Bengal is still on rise and it has reached 570, says a west Bengal health department statement on Friday.

"The total number of confirmed dengue cases is 570. In Kolkata alone, there are 352 cases of dengue," health department statement said.

The department had earlier stated that out of the confirmed dengue cases, two patients, including a girl, have died. Nine-year old Sreeja Das was the first to be killed by dengue.

The epidemic had hit the state in the second week of August.

A large number of people in Kolkata and adjoining areas have been hospitalized with symptoms similar to dengue.

The state government is planning to launch an intense awareness campaign throughout the disease-prone areas and train 142 medical officers of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to handle this disease, as most of the cases are coming from the areas around the city.

The dengue-hit areas have been divided into category A and B, depending on the intensiveness of the disease in the area. Kolkata is under category A and areas of Howrah, Siliguri and Asansol are placed under category B.

--with inputs from IANS