Dengue claims 13 more lives, 1983 hospitalised in 24hrs

Reza Mahmud :
Though there is no let up in the intensity dengue infection, the government officials are claiming that the rate has been reducing in recent days.

They said that the dengue infection is decreasing in Dhaka while it is increasing outside of the capital city.

However, 13 dengue patients died and 1,983 admitted to different hospitals in the last 24 hours across the country including capital city Dhaka.

Sources said, the dengue cases are on the rise amid the shortage of testing kits and saline in different hospitals across the country.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data showed the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh reached to 453 this year till Friday morning.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 95,877 dengue cases and 87,851 recoveries this year.

When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Adviser of the World Health Organisation (WHO) told The New Nation, “Dengue is spreading and more number of people are being hopspitalised and dying.

If it continued like this and not contained, the situation will be more worsened.”

The best approach is while people are being made aware of dengue and mosquito bites by infected mosquitoes. The authority is not involving enough in making the people aware and protect themselves, he observed.

He suggested that the local ward commissioners or ward members should be engaged in awareness programmes as well as in spraying insecticides in wards where it is needed.

Contacted, Dr. Mukhlesuz Zaman Hero, former Deputy Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital told The New Nation, “Coordinating measures is needed to curb the dengue infections across the country.”

He said, intermittent rain causes the situation worsened as it helps little amount of water stagnant in many isolated areas which is become hotspots of dengue’s bearer Aedes mosquito breeding.

Experts and citizens are worried over less monitoring of mosquito eliminating programme.

They suggested more surveillance in this programme to eliminate mosquito breeding hubs from the city areas.

Meanwhile, officials of the city corporations claimed they have been monitoring the elimination programme closely.

Talking with The New Nation at his office in the Nogor Bhaban, Dr. Fazle Shamsul Kabir, Acting Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, said, “We are monitoring our employees activities closely to make the mosquito eliminating programme a success.”

He said the number of infections in Dhaka are decreasing.

“We have found mosquito larvae in one among 40 households now. But previously it had found nearly almost all households we have inspected,” the official said.

The official said that dengue patients are coming in Dhaka hospitals from outsides for getting better treatment.

Professor Dr Md Shahadat Hossain, Director of the DGHS, said “Dengue cases started declining in August.

Tackling the dengue outbreak in August would bring some relief and enable a more comfortable situation for the public.”

“However, in Dhaka, the number of cases has stabilised compared to the previous period. Although there is an increase in cases outside Dhaka,” he said.