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Early action key
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The Kolkata Municipal Corporation operates the system throughout the year.
The city is divided into 144 wards and 16 boroughs, each managed by teams of vector control experts, including PhD holders in entomology.
Rapid Action Teams (RATs) and field workers monitor cases, eliminate breeding sites, and raise public awareness.
A ward-based database plays a crucial role in mapping high-risk areas such as ponds, construction sites, and water tanks.
When a dengue case is identified, RATs inspect and destroy breeding grounds at the patient’s home and in 50 nearby houses within 24 hours.
Additionally, they conduct searches in at least 50 surrounding houses to ensure the containment of the virus.
Chief Vector Control Officer Dr Debashish Bishwas explained how the system ensures no dengue case goes unmonitored.
“We collect data from all private diagnostic centres, and patients receive their test results via SMS. This information is shared with our officers, enabling immediate action,” he said.
This systematic approach has helped Kolkata maintain control over dengue outbreaks, keeping case numbers manageable even during peak seasons.
ADAPTING MODEL FOR BANGLADESH
To replicate Kolkata’s success, experts recommend deploying dedicated personnel in every ward to identify fever patients and conduct blood tests. Establishing a hotline for reporting fever cases could streamline early detection efforts.
Manzur stressed the need for modern equipment and effective chemicals for larviciding and adulticiding. He recommended declaring dengue a reportable disease from January, requiring doctors to provide the addresses of patients to facilitate targeted interventions.
Meanwhile, hospitals, often overlooked in anti-mosquito campaigns, must also be prioritised, said Bashar, as they can become hotspots for dengue transmission.
The government must also focus on decentralised efforts, prioritising urban and rural areas equally. Strengthening mosquito control departments and holding them accountable would be critical to achieving sustained results, Bashar added.

Take lead
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progress,” he added.
Pointing at the broader need for national transformation, he said, “A true wave of change has emerged in Bangladesh. To sustain this change, we must work together.”
Shafiqur also focused on medical research, urging doctors to take up advanced research to set an example for creating a humane state.
“Healthcare can be a model for building a compassionate nation, so doctors should prioritise research and innovation.”

JCD leader
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Shahin Mia, Pavel’s elder brother and a BNP activist, said, “Bayejid and his men killed my brother. We demand justice.”
Bayejid could not be contacted for comments.
No case has been filed over the incident.