Dengue keeps escalating

Dengue continues to take a heavy toll on public health, spreading its wing all over the country.

The number of dengue patients is increasing with each passing day.

The health directorate has recorded 1,475 dengue cases in last 24 hours.

Usually, dengue breaks out in August and September, but this year, the number of dengue patients has broken all previous records even before the start of this period.  

Only in July, some 14, 996 people have been infected with the disease, which is more than the number in the entire year of 2018.  

This year a total of 17,183 dengue patients have got admitted to different hospitals. 

Of them, some 12,266 were released after treatment and some 4,903 are now undergoing treatment, according to information at Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room of Health Directorate. 

Dengue patients were found from January this year. 

The number has continued to rise from April, according the health directorate. 

There were 58 dengue infected patients in April, 193 in May, 1863 in June and 14,996 in July – it was much higher over the same period last year.

In 2018, some 29 were infected with dengue in April, 52 in May, 295 in June and 946 in July.

In the previous year, the number of dengue infection and death was highest in August and September.

This year, the situation may deteriorate all the more during the time, experts apprehend.

Irregular rainfall adds to the dengue outbreak, said Dr Saniya Tahmina, director of disease control of Health Directorate.

This year dengue outbreak has started much earlier due to climate change, Dr Tahmina added. 

“In previous years, we saw downpours during this time, but this year we see irregular rainfall, which creates favourable environment for Aedes mosquito.” 

If it rains persistently, mosquitos die naturally.

Dengue may continue for two more months if weather conditions remain the same, she added.

The situation can turn worse during the time if the mosquito menace is not controlled.

She called upon all to remain vigilant.

During the January-July period, 2,387 dengue patients were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and some 1,016 to Midford Hospital.  

Besides, many other patients got treatment from different hospitals and clinics in the capital.

As dengue has changed its pattern this year and become more powerful, all have to be very careful and work together to fight the menace, said Dr ABM Abdullah, former dean of Medicine Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. 

To control the rise of mosquitos, two city corporations and people will have to work in cooperation.

Now Aedes mosquito is present outside Dhaka. 

If any mosquito bites a dengue patient, it also gets infected. Later, if the infected mosquito bites anyone, they are at a risk of being infected with dengue.

In 2000, for the first time, Bangladesh had witnessed the dengue outbreak. A total of 5,551 people were infected with dengue that year. Of them, 93 died, according to the information at Health Directorate.

Mosquito-killing insecticides yet to arrive

City corporation authorities have not sent new mosquito killing insecticides to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said Director of IEDCR Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora.

It will take seven days for them to test the new medicines, he added.

Health Directorate confirms 14 dead from dengue 

The Health Directorate has so far confirmed the death of 14 dengue-infected people, even though non-government sources claimed it to be 50.

“We confirmed the death of 14 persons after testing the samples of 20,” said Dr Meerjady.

We have to go through a long procedure for verification. We reveal the death number only after 100 percent confirmation, she added.  

She also said the death toll reported by different hospitals is incorrect.