Dengue testing rules have been tightened in West Bengal, with the Health Department directing facilities to use NS1 antigen ELISA testing during the first five days of fever and IgM testing after that period. The revised protocol was issued after a virtual review meeting involving the state government, municipal corporations, medical colleges and district administrations.
According to Sangbad Pratidin’s report, the Health Department’s latest information showed that 3,700 dengue tests had been conducted, with 128 returning positive. A total of 256 dengue patients were reported to be admitted to hospitals. Sources cited in the report put the total number of infections in the state at close to 9,000.
The department’s instructions place particular emphasis on the first three to five days of illness. Medical teams have been asked to monitor changes in a patient’s urine output, sleep, convulsions and other physical conditions. Families are also to be informed about warning signs that require prompt contact with a health centre.
These warning signs include abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, excessive weakness, convulsions, loss of consciousness and bleeding from any part of the body. The department has advised that patients remain under observation even after the fever subsides, as officials said the most serious risks from dengue can begin when the fever comes down.
The testing protocol distinguishes between the early and later stages of fever. For the first five days, the department has directed health facilities to conduct an NS1 antigen ELISA test for dengue. Once five days have passed, an IgM test is to be used. The guidance is intended to align testing with the stage of infection being assessed.
The revised instructions also ask doctors to examine other possible causes when fever lasts for more than 10 days. These include leptospirosis and scrub typhus. For patients admitted to hospitals, the possibility of hospital-acquired infection is also to be considered, according to the report.
The virtual meeting was held on Wednesday and included Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, representatives of six municipal corporations, six municipalities, all medical colleges and district magistrates. Commissioners from the Kolkata, Howrah, Siliguri, Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Asansol municipal corporations also participated.
The report identified Murshidabad as the district with the highest number of dengue cases at present, followed by Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly. The participation of municipal corporations and district administrations places testing, patient monitoring and public communication within a coordinated state and local response.
Health experts have also advised people not to panic unnecessarily over platelet counts. The Health Department’s latest directions focus instead on timely testing, close observation during the early illness period, recognition of danger signs and assessment of alternative infections when fever continues beyond 10 days.
