Dengue Outbreak: Situation worsens
The dengue situation keeps getting worse every day with the authorities fearing further deterioration during Eid holidays.
At least 2,428 dengue patients got admitted to hospitals across the country in 24 hours since 8:00am Tuesday, taking the total to 32,340 this year, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The number of patients getting admitted every day has been increasing since August 3 and Bangladesh never had more than 11,000 dengue cases in a year.
Meanwhile, two people died after being diagnosed with dengue yesterday, taking the unofficial death toll to 69.
Aulad Hossain, 32, who had been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, died around 4:30am, Assistant Director of DMCH Naseeruddin told The Daily Star.
At the hospital, 54 dengue patients got admitted in the 24 hours.
The number of patients is 143 at Mitford Hospital and 100 at Mughda Medical College Hospital.
In the other incident, Mehedi Hasan, a student of Government Titumir College, died of dengue yesterday.
Mehedi, undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the United Hospital, breathed his last at around 3:30pm, confirmed Dr Shagufa Anwar, Chief Communication and Business Development Officer of the Hospital.
So far this year, 8,863 people with dengue got admitted to hospitals outside Dhaka.
In Mymensingh, 153 were taking treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital after 49 more got admitted in 24 hours ending at 8:00am yesterday, said AB Md Shamsuzzaman, assistant director of the hospital.
Seventeen new patients got admitted to Pabna Medical College Hospital in the last 24 hours, said Ranjan Kumar, assistant director of the hospital, yesterday evening.
In Kishoreganj, 112 people were taking treatment at different hospitals in the district, said Kishoreganj Civil Surgeon Md Habibur Rahman.
EID WORRY
Worried that things could get worse during the Eid holidays when many homes in the capital would be unattended for days, the DGHS yesterday suggested that people cover traditional and western commodes before they leave.
It also asked them to remove water from the trays at the bottom of refrigerators, from air conditioning drain pipes, buckets, plant pots, and barrels.
The DGHS asked them to turn bowls, trays or kitchen pots upside down before they leave and cover water tanks.
The education ministry is also worried about the holidays. Education institutions will remain closed for 12 days.
The ministry in a circular issued yesterday asked schools to form six- to 10-member teams comprising teachers, staffers, scouts, BNCC members and students to monitor the institutions during the holidays so that Aedes mosquito do not get a free pass to breed. The teams would remove any stagnant water.
The ministry asked the schools to keep their offices open every day and have teachers and staffers man them in turns.
The cabinet division yesterday issued a circular asking all ministries and divisions, departments, and other agencies under ministries to take necessary steps so that Aedes mosquitoes cannot breed in offices and their surrounding areas during the holidays.
It mentioned that the Eid holidays, coupled with weekends and the National Mourning Day, would create a long holiday during which the mosquitoes could breed.
MONEY FOR FIGHTING MOSQUITOES
The government has allocated Tk 51.5 crore to help the city corporations and municipalities fight mosquitoes, UNB reports
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam said this at a meeting with Bangladesh Climate Change Journalist Forum (BCJF) at the secretariat.
Of the amount, the two Dhaka city corporations were given Tk 7.5 crore each. Tk 1 crore each was allocated for Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Chattogram city corporations.
Other city corporations received Tk 50 lakh each.
The municipalities would get Tk 30 crore.
The minister said it is conducting mosquito prevention activities in the light of Kolkata’s experience. “The menace will be under control if everyone keeps the premises of their homes and offices clean.”
He said, “Kolkata achieved a lot by raising public awareness. They say they’ve got rid of this problem as 90 percent of the people were aware of dengue.”
Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday asked the authorities concerned to stop spraying ineffective anti-mosquito chemicals, reports UNB.
“Effective insecticide will arrive in Dhaka within two to four days and in the meantime there’s no need to spray ineffective chemicals just to show off,” he said after attending a cleanliness drive in the city’s Mirpur Mazar Road area.
[Our Dinajpur, Pabna and Mymensingh correspondents contributed to the report.]
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