The mosquito-borne disease dengue claimed two more lives in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till Thursday morning, taking the death toll to 64 this year.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said 661 more people were hospitalised with the viral fever during the same period. Of them, 433 were from Dhaka and the rest from other parts of the country.
Among the new patients, 433 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest elsewhere, according to DGHS.
DGHS states that the number of dengue patients admitted to hospitals across the country has reached 2,129, with 1,490 of them in the capital. It also reported that a total of 11,116 people have been infected with dengue this year and of them, 8,923 have recovered from the disease.
The dengue situation worsened in 2022 when the country witnessed 281 fatalities due to the mosquito-borne viral infection. This was the highest death toll from dengue since 2019 when 179 people died. The DGHS also recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries in 2022.
Ctg civil surgeon warns of dire situation
Chattogram Civil Surgeon Mohammad Ilias Chowdhury in a letter warned the city’s Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of the alarming dengue situation and requested to undertake urgent measures to tackle it.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the Director of Health (Infectious Disease Control) on Thursday.
The letter mentioned that with the onset of the monsoon season, the number of Aedes mosquito-borne dengue patients in the city is rapidly increasing compared to the previous year. In just six days of the current month, 223 people are infected with three fatalities in Chattogram. So, Ilias Chowdhury urgently requested to increase awareness and take necessary preventive measures.
The civil surgeon said, “The situation has already been reported to the concerned departments as earlier. I have requested to take effective measures. The number of affected patients in Chattogram is increasing every day. As of July 6, a total of 545 people have been infected with dengue with 12 deaths and 142 patients are still under treatment in different hospitals in the port city.”
The letter also drew the attention of Sheikh Muhammad Touhidul Islam, the corporation’s chief executive officer. "We have taken the situation very seriously. A coordination meeting will be called next week and all the fogger machines are already being effectively used,” said Touhid.
On Wednesday, Manisha Mahajan, special magistrate of CCC Mobile Court fined the owners of eight buildings Tk 43,000 for finding Aedes larvae in the North Khulshi area of the city. She said, “After inspecting 25 houses, a stagnant water source was found under an under-construction building and larvae were found in unused tubs and containers on the roofs of the other seven buildings. The owners were fined a total of Tk 43,000.”
“Mosquito killing spays are being used to tackle the situation along with announcements through PA systems and leaflet distribution to raise public awareness,” she added.
During the inspection of various canals, drains, and roads in Chaktai, Khatunganj area of the city, Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, “100-day crash programme is ongoing under the initiative of CCC to reduce mosquitoes. However, citizens also have an important role to play in reducing the infestation. They have to remove the accumulated water in their residences on their own initiative. Only then, the benefits of the crash programme can be reaped.”
