Reza Mahmud :
As the dengue season commences, a sense of unease pervades Bangladesh due to the inadequate preparedness of upazila hospitals for testing and treating the mosquito-borne disease.
Public health experts have issued warnings that without robust governmental intervention, the country could face a severe outbreak.
The onset of warm weather accompanied by frequent rains creates an ideal breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito, the vector of dengue fever.
Experts emphasize that dengue is no longer a mere fever but has become endemic, with a significant spread last year.
They urge the government to devise and implement a comprehensive plan to curb the disease’s proliferation.
Reports of insufficient facilities for dengue diagnosis and treatment have surfaced from various upazila hospitals.
Mohammad Ali, a resident of Shibpur village in Boalmari upazila, Faridpur district, shared his ordeal when his son exhibited symptoms consistent with dengue. “We were directed to seek testing at private clinics by the government hospital, which lacks the necessary testing capabilities,” he stated.
Patients like Ali’s son face a financial burden, as private clinics charge between 300 to 500 taka for dengue testing, a steep increase from the nominal 50 taka fee at government health facilities.
This situation is not isolated to Boalmari; similar grievances have been reported from Kapasia in Gazipur and Kolapara upazila hospital in Patuakhali district.
The dire situation was highlighted last year when the country faced a serious spread of the disease. Professor Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed, former Director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), expressed his concerns to The New Nation, stating, “With frequent drizzling and moderate rainfall marking the onset of dengue season, it’s unacceptable that district and upazila level hospitals remain underprepared for dengue check-up and treatment.”
The financial burden of dengue testing, which can cost upwards of Tk300 in private clinics, is driving the impoverished population to seek help at government hospitals.
This influx is not matched by the facilities’ capabilities, a situation that contradicts the recent assurances by Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen to strengthen rural health services and reduce the need for patients to travel to Dhaka for treatment.
Professor Dr. M. Muzaheurl Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized the urgency of the matter, reminding that dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates where stagnant water is prevalent during and post-monsoon.
He urged the government health facilities to ramp up their readiness to combat the current dengue season and advised that while severe cases require hospitalization, many instances of dengue fever can be managed at home.
Efforts to reach Professor Dr. Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Director General (Health), and Dr. Abu Hussain Md. Moinul Ahsan, Director (Hospital) of DGHS, for comments were unsuccessful.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has released alarming statistics on the dengue situation in Bangladesh, revealing a significant increase in both cases and deaths.
As of May 29 this year, the total number of dengue cases has escalated to 2,678, with 35 fatalities reported, surpassing the figures from the same period last year by 21 deaths.
In a stark comparison, last year witnessed 1,705 deaths due to dengue, marking it as the deadliest year on record for the country.
The DGHS documented a staggering 321,179 cases of dengue, with 318,749 patients making recoveries.
A recent pre-monsoon survey conducted by the DGHS from April 17 to April 26 has uncovered a high density of Aedes mosquito larvae, the primary vector for dengue transmission, in multiple wards of Dhaka.
Specifically, 29 wards of Dhaka South City Corporation and 12 wards of Dhaka North City Corporation are affected, raising concerns about the potential for a worsening outbreak.
Last year, the dengue virus spread across all 64 districts of Bangladesh. However, the ten districts with the highest number of confirmed cases as of September 16, 2023, were Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal, Patuakhali, Lakshmipur, Pirojpur, Chandpur, Manikganj, Cumilla, and Faridpur.