The Celsius soared to a season high of 40.5 degrees on Wednesday, prompting the weather office to sound the summer’s first heat-wave warning for Calcutta. The hottest day of the year so far was also the second hottest May day of the decade after a 42.1-degree scorcher on May 9, 2009. Only thrice in the past 10 years have May temperatures hit 40-plus in the city.

MALDA, 6 APRIL: At least 11 children died in Malda Medical College and Hospital in last 36 hours. State health department spokesman Asit Biswas confirmed the deaths of nine children in a 24-hour period and 15 children over the past seven days. But those figures aren't what the department is focused on, he said.

MALDA, 4 MARCH: Under the state health department's new communications policy, Malda Medical College and Hospital has been tight-lipped about the deaths of nine babies in 48 hours. Neither the names of the children -- mostly newborns -- nor the names of their guardians have been disclosed, citing a recent government order. The principal secretary of the state health department issued a memo no (HF/0/GA/481/2 E-08/12) on 21 February instructing district health officials that Dr Asit Biswas would act as spokesman for the state health and family welfare department.

MALDA, 23 FEB: At least eight babies died at Malda Medical College and Hospital over the past 24 hours. All but three were born in the hospital, and one had been admitted to the Sick Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU).

MALDA/BANKURA, 3 FEB: Nine babies at Malda Medical College and Hospital, and 10 babies at Bankura Sammiloni Medical College and Hospital have died in the last 48 hours. In Malda, health officials said the deaths were caused by low birth weights and malnutrition, the same causes they gave for previous deaths. Minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya plans to visit Malda Monday in connection with the recent child deaths, and also attend a government function.

KOLKATA, 30 JAN: With the recent crib deaths in state-run hospitals causing widespread public anger, the state health department is now blaming socio-economic factors for the high level of infant mortalities. According to senior health officials, many pregnant women in Malda ~ the district that has been the epicentre of the crib deaths ~ are malnourished. Out of the 15 blocks in the district, infant deaths are highest in Kaliachak. In fact, 45 per cent of the 105 infant deaths that have recently taken place in Malda are from Kaliachak.

MALDA, 29 JAN: Five more babies died at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in the past 24 hours taking the toll to 116 this month.

With five more babies dying at the State-run Malda Medical College and Hospital on Monday, the number of children died in the facility over the past week has reached 32.

West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan told journalists here that the State government was deeply concerned about the deaths and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was personally looking into the issue.

The death toll of infants in the last seven days has risen to 21 with five more newborn dying on Thursday in the government-run Malda Sadar Hospital here, according to acting superintendent of the hospital M.A. Rashid.

He said the cause of the death of the five new born babies, in the last 24 hours, was due to under-weight and breathing problem.