Dengue cases near 1 lakh, death toll reaches 303
Transmission may be relatively lower in Dhaka because the virus has circulated there for a long time, potentially leaving many people infected more than once.
Four people died of dengue, and 2,193 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country in the 24 hours to yesterday, taking the death toll to 303 and the cumulative caseload to 99,275, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Of the four deaths, one was reported from Chattogram, one from Rajshahi division and two from Khulna division, according to a press release issued by the DGHS Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room today (11 October).
Khabirul Bashar, a medical entomologist and professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University, told TBS that dengue transmission would remain high in October, with many more people likely to be infected in November.
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Transmission may be relatively lower in Dhaka because the virus has circulated there for a long time, potentially leaving many people infected more than once.
The risk of reinfection with the same serotype is generally lower, which may contribute to declining transmission. Dhaka also has stronger institutional structures and more extensive mosquito control activities than other districts.
Outside Dhaka, however, the lack of effective institutional mechanisms for mosquito control is contributing to higher transmission, he said.
Bashar said breeding source management was the most important aspect of dengue control. Authorities must take proactive measures to prevent the formation of breeding sites and must identify and eliminate any existing ones by employing a "search and destroy" strategy.
Discarded ice cream cups, disposable glasses, biscuit wrappers, buckets and other objects that hold stagnant water should be removed or emptied from homes, rooftops and surrounding areas. Where water cannot be drained or containers cannot be removed or overturned, larvicides or insect growth regulators (IGRs) can prevent mosquito larvae from developing.
Destroying mosquitoes at the larval stage is easier than controlling adult mosquitoes, he said, adding that effective breeding site management could reduce reliance on fogging, which targets adult mosquitoes.
September recorded 148 dengue deaths, the highest monthly toll so far this year. Dengue claimed five lives from January to May, followed by 13 in June, 36 in July and 43 in August.
Meanwhile, 1,796 patients were discharged from hospitals in the 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries this year to 92,803.
