Kolkata: In a major step towards upholding public health, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has installed first of its kind high-end reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines in India for quick detection of diseases like dengue, tuberculosis and swine flu.
These machines are to serve as a ‘third umpire’ in situations when medical reports and blood tests reveal contradictory results. “The purpose is to give accurate DNA report on blood tests in order to ascertain the exact cause of illness,” Deputy Mayor of KMC, Atin Ghosh, told News18.
“Through these machines, tests will be conducted free of cost,” he added.
Four machines have been installed in the initial stages of the project at Hatbagan in North Kolkata, Behala, Jadavpur and at Haji Mohammad Mohsin Square in central part of the city.
It has been learnt that through these machines, the KMC aims to identify the root causes of diseases like dengue as the city continues to record a sharp rise in cases of mosquito-borne diseases.
“Whenever there is a death reported from the hospitals, political leaders in the opposition make noise and allege that the death was caused by dengue. With this machine, we will now know the exact cause, without any room for doubts,” a senior health official at the KMC said.
“This machine will not lie,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KMC has intensified its drives to prevent spreading of dengue in the city. More than 30 wards have been identified as dengue vulnerable and efforts are on to disinfect the area.
“We are visiting individual houses, residential and commercial complexes to inspect whether the underground reservoirs and overhead tanks are properly covered or not,” the official said. Special camps were set up by the KMC health departments to make people aware on dengue and its precautionary measures. Nearly 15, blood collection centers dedicated dengue laboratories have been also opened.
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