Dengue costs lives, leaves behind debts

We are disheartened to learn about the findings of a study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), which revealed that the poorest households in the country spent 139 percent of their monthly income for dengue treatment. On average, families of dengue patients in Dhaka had to spend Tk 33,817. But what is most alarming is that the findings are based on data collected this time in 2020. Dengue trends indicate that the surge of infections is worse every alternate year, which means that between 2019 and 2021, last year was the year least hard-hit by the disease. The numbers also reflect this as cases reported in 2020 were only 1,045 compared to the staggering 101,354 in 2019. This year, there have been around 26,000 cases of dengue infection so far, as confirmed by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), with numbers still rising this month.

All of this implies that, not only are more people going to suffer financially for treating dengue than last year, but they will also have to bear these costs at a time when the pandemic has pushed 19.54 percent of the population into poverty, as per data by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) data revealed in August. Many patients' families last year dealt with treatment costs by draining their savings and borrowing from friends, relatives, and even loan sharks. Treatment at private hospitals also cost more than double than that in public ones, on average. While the threat of Covid-19 infections has become somewhat subdued over the past few months—with 244 cases being recorded yesterday—it does still exist, and our healthcare system is now being presented with the challenge of increasing dengue infections.

We would urge the city corporations to ramp up existing awareness programmes against dengue in their respective areas. It could also be useful for the government to broadcast awareness tips through television and social media. Experts say that mosquito repellents may work to kill dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, but they can also be harmful for human health. Such information must reach the public effectively, so that they know exactly which measures will be most helpful when combating the dengue surge.

The government should urgently try and make dengue treatment more affordable for the public, particularly in public hospitals. Additionally, authorities should also ensure that our healthcare system is well-adapted to treat dengue cases effectively this year, so that we do not face a dismal situation similar to that of 2019.