Number of dengue patients increases in Uttara, Rampura

The number of dengue patients has increased in the capital’s Uttara and Rampura areas.

Moghbazar, which saw the highest number of dengue infection a month ago, has had fewer cases at present.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) disclosed the findings on August 25 after analysing information of 7,307 patients admitted to 42 public, autonomous and private hospitals across the capital.

Fewer patients were seen in Dhaka Cantonment, Khilkhet, Bhashantek, Matuail, Uttarkhan, Sultanganj, Hazaribagh, Bosila and Baghbari areas.

In hospitals, the IEDCR found more than 300 patients from Uttara, Rampura and Moghbazar, whereas 200-300 patients from Malibagh, Khilgaon, Lalmatia, Dayaganj and Jatrabari.

A month ago, the number of the hospitalised patients from Uttara was between 1 and 20, whereas from Moghbazar it was 60.

The number of patients from Uttara has exceeded the number of patients from Moghbazar within a month.

Prof Mirzadi Sebrina Flora, director of IEDCR, told The Business Standard that increase of patients in a certain area does not necessarily mean the area is prone to the viral infection.

“Nowadays, people travel to different places, they might be infected from somewhere else,” she said.

Now, dengue patients are found in every area of Dhaka city, she added.

Prof Sania Tahmina, director (diseases control) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said the number of patients had not decreased significantly in any area of the city.

Currently, 3,000 dengue patients have been admitted to different hospitals, according to the DGHS.

So far 35,664 patients have taken treatment at different hospitals recently.

Analysing 2,364 hospitalised patients’ age, the IEDCR has found that people between 15 and 25 are more affected with the dengue virus, who account for 27 percent patients. Patients aged between 25 and 35 make up 20 percent.

Of the total number of dengue patients, 68 percent are male while 32 percent are female.

Atik Ahsan, medical anthropologist and former research investigator at the ICDDRB, put emphasis on bringing all dengue patients under a database.

“Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the USA have their own databases,” he told The Business Standard.

The government should be informed of every dengue patient, he said.

Whenever any patient is identified with the virus, they should be treated in isolation, he continued.

“If mosquitoes within 400 metres of the patients can be eradicated, the virus will not spread among other people,” Atik added.