Dengue cases on sharp rise even before monsoon sets in
As many as 22 dengue patients were admitted to various hospitals across the country over the past 24 hours
About 44% of the total dengue patients this year were admitted to various hospitals within 15 days of the current month even before the beginning of monsoon season.
Experts said that the dengue infection rate is higher this year because of the untimely rainfall that started before the beginning of the monsoon on Wednesday and the lack of dengue prevention measures by the two city corporations.
As many as 22 dengue patients were admitted to various hospitals across the country over the past 24 hours till 8:00 am on Wednesday taking the total number to 629 from January to June 15.
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Of the total dengue patients in the hospitals, 277 were admitted within 15 days of June.
Of the total 629 dengue patients detected since January, 521 are from Dhaka and the rest 108 are from outside the capital. About 150 dengue patients were admitted in the last week.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data, at present 69 dengue patients are admitted to the hospitals across the country. Of them, 66 are from Dhaka and three from outside.
Of the total admitted patients in Dhaka, the majority are admitted at the Mugda Medical College Hospital where four dengue patients were admitted in a single day.
As many as 239 patients were admitted to this hospital so far of whom 212 were cured. At present, the total number of admitted dengue patients at the hospital is 27.
After the 2019 dengue outbreak with over one lakh patients, the rate declined during the Covid pandemic in 2020 leaving seven people dead.
But dengue cases surged again in 2021 amid Covid when 28,429 patients were admitted and 105 died.
According to a DGHS pre-monsoon survey this year, 24% of the larvae found in plastic drums were Aedes larvae. In 2019, when the dengue infection rate was the highest in the country, this rate was 11.5%.
In 2019, Aedes larvae found on the submerged floors were 20%, which is about 24% in June this year.
Aedes larvae were found everywhere in the city, according to the information on the combing operation conducted by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
Entomologists fear that the density of Aedes may increase further after the beginning of the rainy season.
According to the DGHS survey, the Breteau Index (BI), which measures the density of the Aedes mosquito, is a bit higher in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) this year compared to the previous years. In ward-45 of DSCC, the density of the Aedes mosquito is 23.33% of the total mosquito found there. Besides, the density of Aedes mosquitoes in wards 38 and 40 is 20%.
Generally, the density of Aedes mosquitoes above 20% is considered risky.
The DSCC will conduct a drive for four months in the 10 zones to destroy the breeding grounds of Aedes from Wednesday.
On the other hand, DNCC has already conducted a 10-day drive to eliminate Aedes in the 10 zones in May.
The entomologist of the DNCC, Asif Iqbal, however, does not know what is the BI in his city corporation. He suggested calling the chief health officer of the corporation to know about the issue.
Former Director of the Department of Health (Disease Control), Professor Be-Nazir Ahmed told The Business Standard that it is very worrying that the dengue infection is on the rise before June. The density of Aedes has increased due to the rainfall which started long before the monsoon. But the city corporations did not have any preparation to control the Aedes. It can be assumed that the measures taken by the city corporations are fruitless as the dengue prevalence is on the rise now, he added.
As dengue is spreading countrywide, the local government should be made aware to reduce the density of Aedes, experts suggested.
