Lack of awareness worsening situation
People in rural areas of Chattogram are seemingly reluctant to go for Covid-19 testing even after suffering from fever for six to seven days, increasing the risk of further worsening the situation in the country, according to experts.
They said lack of awareness and apathy are behind this and urged the government to take immediate steps in this regard.
For example, Minu Roy (not her real name) of Rangunia upazila in Chattogram has been suffering from fever for the last eight days but her family did not take her for testing yet.
For the last seven days, she was being treated at home as per advice of a salesperson from a local pharmacy. As her condition deteriorated, her family took her to a doctor on the eighth day.
The doctor advised her for some tests including a chest X-ray and RT-PCR. The family went for all the tests except for the Covid-19 one.
Asked about the reason, her son told The Daily Star that they did not go for Covid-19 testing due to "social stigma".
"In the village, we all know each other. It's not like the city here. If my mother tests positive for Covid-19, everyone in the village would separate us. They may even confine us to our home. If that happens, how would we survive?"
Dipesh Bhattacharjee, a university student of Rangunia, did not agree with him.
"Actually lack of awareness is the main reason behind people's reluctance to go for testing," he said. "You will see many in the village roaming around with fever but won't go for testing."
This is not the case in Rangunia alone; the situation prevails in most of the 15 upazilas of Chattogram.
Monwara Begum of Hathazari upazila said she took her son to Chattogram General Hospital six days after he had been suffering from fever. She thought it was a seasonal flue.
According to health experts, if Covid-19 patients are not identified by testing and cannot be isolated, it is almost impossible to curb the infection rate.
The present situation gives testimony of the experts' accounts as the upazilas in Chattogram have been identified as the new hot spot for Covid-19 infection.
One of the upazilas is Hathazari. A total of 58 Covid-19 patients were identified in 24 hours in the upazila on Wednesday, which is the highest ever since the onset of pandemic in March last year, said sources in civil surgeon's office.
On the day, the number of positive patients was 33 in Sitakunda, 27 in Raozan and 20 in Fatikchhari.
A total of 713 positive cases were detected in Chattogram on Wednesday, of those, 477 were from the city and 236 from upazilas (positivity rate over 33 percent).
The positivity rate at upazilas is also increasing as it was around 22.48 percent since June.
For example, on Wednesday, 477 cases were detected out of 1,725 samples tested in port city, putting the positivity rate at 27.65 percent. On the other hand, 236 cases were detected in upazilas out of 384 samples -- a 61.44 percent positivity rate.
The situation was quite the opposite some two months ago.
Meanwhile, the death rate also saw a rise in upazilas. On Wednesday, nine patients died of Covid-19 in Chattogram. Of them, two were from the city and the rest from upazilas, said civil surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi.
"People in rural areas do not go for testing even if they feel feverish for a week. They do not even go to a doctor on time which worsens their illness," said Dr Abdur Rob, a senior consultant of medicine and head of Covid-19 ward at Chattogram General Hospital.
"Lack of consciousness among people is behind this," he said, adding, "Public representatives should be actively involved in awareness campaigns in rural areas."
Public Health expert and head of Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases laboratory Prof Dr Shakeel Ahmed said number of testing should be increased in both city and rural areas.
He also stressed the need for raising awareness among people and said public representatives, law enforcers, political activists and local groups should come forward in this regard.
Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, convener of public health rights protection committee, Chattogram, said apart from lack of awareness, many patients in rural areas do not come for testing as they cannot afford the transport fare.
Upazila health complex is the only testing centre there, which is far from many remote villages.
"The government should take initiatives in this regard. Also, number of testing centres in upazilas should be increased," he opined.
Asked, the civil surgeon said public representatives have already been engaged in Covid-19 awareness campaigns in rural areas.
About increasing testing centres in upazilas, he said, "Rapid antigen testing has already been started there. So, we think the number of testing centres would increase in the days to come."
Comments