Bengal govt issues dengue test directive to hospitals

With dengue deaths in West Bengal since January touching 25, the state health department has advised all hospitals to conduct tests for dengue and scrub typhus on any person who is suffering from fever for five days.

The advisory, issued last week, has asked all the government and private hospitals in the state to strictly follow the treatment protocol, which is based on guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The advisory was issued after the health department found that the protocol was being flouted at several medical institutions, an official said.

"It has come to our notice that the WHO guidelines on conducting tests for dengue and scrub typhus were not being followed by several establishments, following which the advisory was issued.

"We have been abiding by the protocol in the state for several years as per norms prevalent across the globe," the Health Department official said.

He said the department would monitor the medical institutions to ensure that the protocol is being followed.

"Establishments found flouting it will be penalised," he said.

Some 25 people have succumbed to dengue and more than 40,000 have been affected by the disease in the state since January, officials said.

Besides, two deaths due to scrub typhus have also been reported from the districts of the state, they said.