Dengue fever, caused by Aedes mosquitoes, has taken a serious turn across the country with sharp rise in the number of infections recently. The infection rate is said to be very alarming also in the capital Dhaka.
At least five more people died from dengue viral infection in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 61 this year.
Therefore, the presence of mosquitos in Dhaka is now at dangerous levels, according to a government survey. Experts fear that dengue may spread even further.
In this circumstance, various government agencies concerned, including officials of both the city corporations in Dhaka, have taken various measures to bring the situation under control.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has cancelled leaves for all level officials and employees, including master role workers under concerned department and section, have been cancelled until further notice.
The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) also launched a three-day long special drive in 25 of its wards from Tuesday morning from the Boldha Garden.
According to the DGHS, 678 more new patients were hospitalized with the viral fever this year. Of them, 429 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.
A total of 1,669 dengue patients, including 1,100 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. The DGHS so far has recorded 9,871 dengue cases and 8,141 recoveries.
According to the DGHS 281 dengue patients died earlier in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Nearly all of those who died of dengue this year suffered from dengue haemorrhagic fever and died of shock syndrome.
The DGHS officials said the Aedes mosquito-borne disease began spreading even before the start of the monsoon season this year. It also had warned that this year would see more dengue cases and had advised steps to stop the spread of the disease.
DNCC mayor Md Atiqul Islam said, “Dengue outbreaks occur during the monsoon season. The leave of all concerned officers and employees has been cancelled to prevent dengue from spreading in the city. Besides, public awareness is very important in this regard.”
“As the Aedes mosquito breeds in stagnant water, it must be ensured that no water accumulates in any container inside the house, on the roof, and on the balcony,” he said.
The mayor also said, “There had been water-clogging in different parts of the DNCC due to non-stop rain over the last few days. I have ordered the workers to be in the field round the clock to relieve the people by removing the waterlogging as soon as possible."
“The leave of all concerned has been cancelled. City dwellers are requested not to throw polythene and other items into drains. Throwing those items in the drain blocks the flow of water. If everyone is aware, the work becomes easier for us,” the DNCC Mayor said.
Moreover, a recent survey carried out by the health directorate gives a worrying picture of the spread of Aedes mosquito-- carrier of the virus responsible for dengue fever -- in capital Dhaka.
The survey, which has been conducted on 3,150 houses in 98 wards of the two city corporations between June 18 and 27, has found presence of Aedes mosquito larvae in 20 percent of houses under the Dhaka North City Corporation and 15 percent of houses under the Dhaka South City Corporation.
The larvae of Aedes mosquito were found in 549 of the total houses surveyed. Of them, over 43 percent are multi-storeyed apartment buildings and 21.41 percent are houses, according to the survey of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The survey comes at a time when deaths from dengue have been reported almost every day since June.
According to a DGHS analysis on 50 dengue deaths, 62 percent of them are female and 38 percent are male. The age group that saw the highest -- 60.80 percent -- number of deaths is between 19 and 50 years.
The DGHS analysis has also found that 80 percent of the deaths happened within three days after the patients were admitted to a hospital.
Stagnant water collected in any container or place is the breeding ground for Aedes mosquito.
Dr Md Ekramul Haque, deputy programme manager of malaria and ATD control programme at the DGHS, said the health directorate issued letters to all the hospitals across the country to take preparation for dengue management.
Referring to the survey, he said the Average Breteau Index (BI) was found to be over 20 in over 40 wards of the two city corporations, which means those wards are most at risk.
The BI is defined as the number of mosquito-positive containers found in every 100 houses inspected in a given area. The BI of an area over 20 means the area is at high risk of dengue infection.
Among the positive wet containers which are found in the houses, the highest 14.54 percent are found in buildings where stagnant water is collected due to rain or other reasons, 9.28 percent in plastic buckets and 8.73 percent in plastic drums, said Dr Md Ekramul Haque.
Putting stress on awareness building, entomologist Kabirul Bashar said the dwellers should play a vital role in destroying breeding sources of Aedes mosquito in their homes and adjoining places.
The authorities concerned should involve local people in conducting drives to eliminate Aedes breeding grounds, he said.
