91.5K influenza like cases found in Bengal

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, stung by the BJP’s allegations of suppression of Covid-19 data, on Tuesday informed that 91,515 cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and 872 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) were found in 5.57 crore households during door-to-door surveillance conducted by her government in the state.

“During the period of 7th April to 3rd May, 5.57 crore total household visits have been conducted. 872 cases of persons with SARI and 91,515 cases of persons with ILI have been identified and given necessary health advice. 375 people have also been admitted to different health facilities. 62 of them have tested positive for Covid-19 with the affected being treated at our hospitals. The surveillance efforts are ongoing and we will not stop till we together defeat Corona in Bengal,” she posted on Facebook.

South 24 Parganas tops the list of districts with 8,712 cases, followed by Burdwan East (6,785) and Alipurduar (5,906). The massive door-to-door surveillance, a “herculean effort” undertaken by 60,000 specially trained ASHA and health workers non-stop for the past 4 weeks, has been ongoing since the past one month to identify SAR and ILI cases, said Ms Banerjee adding, “The surveillance gives us early warning signals and is an important proactive step in fighting Covid-19.”