Staff Reporter :
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is preparing short-term and long-term plans to check the rise in the mosquito borne diseases dengue and chikunguniya.
“The DSCC is preparing two separate short and long term plans to effectively fight the mosquito borne diseases,” DSCC Chief Health Officer (in-charge) Dr Fazle Shamsul Kabir told journalists on Friday.
The total number of dengue cases rose to 69,456 while 337 deaths from dengue disease were reported till November 7, said a statement of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Thursday.
Last year, the country recorded 1,705 dengue-related deaths and a total of 3,21,179 dengue cases.
Meanwhile, the chikunguniya disease also is on the rise in the capital city recently.
The DSCC formed a six-member expert committee who are working to devise the plans to fight the city’s dengue menaces in effective ways.
The committee held its maiden meeting around four weeks back and the experts were asked to place short-term and long-term plans to the DSCC, said Shamsul Kabir, also a member of the expert team.
Elaborate programmes will be taken after getting and reviewing the short and long term plans to eliminate dengue and chikunguniya, he said.
The DSCC have found Demra and Kamrangirchar as the most affected areas, officials said.
Meanwhile, the measures, taken by them alongside conducting regular anti-mosquito drives under the DSCC areas by its 1050 workers, would bring down the rate of infection by three to four percent a week.
Shamsul Kabir said the number of people infected with dengue disease under the DSCC areas is 4,106 and of them, 33 individuals died till November 6.
He said the number of infected people was five to six times higher than that of the exact number as the big hospitals like Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Sir Salimullah Medical College (previously Mitford Hospital), Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital and Mugda Hospital are under the DSCC jurisdiction and the people across Bangladesh come to these hospitals to take treatment.
Other five members of the DSCC expert committee are: DSCC Administrator (Additional Secretary) Md Nazrul Islam, Dhaka University (DU) Zoology Department Prof Dr Mohammad Firoz Alam, Chairman of the Department Prof Dr Shefali Begum, Medical Entomologist of DU Dr Tanjin Akter and DSCC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Md Mizanur Rahman.