Dengue takes alarming turn in Dhaka

The number of hospitalised dengue patients is increasing sharply in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka during the monsoon in the absence of effective measures of the city authorities to contain Aedes mosquitoes responsible for the viral disease.

City residents are worried over the dengue outbreak at a time when the country is facing the Covid crisis.

More than 96.79 per cent of the dengue patients hospitalised in the country this year is in Dhaka.

Among 3,182 people hospitalised with dengue since January, 3,080 patients are from Dhaka.

A total of 287 dengue patients, including 279 in Dhaka, were hospitalised across the country in 24 hours till 8:00am on Monday.

The country’s dengue situation, especially in Dhaka, has worsened since the beginning of July with 2,286 dengue patients hospitalised in the month amid the surge in Covid infections.

Many city residents said that the dengue situation would not have turned severe if the Dhaka South City Corporation and the Dhaka North City Corporation authorities had destroyed breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes from the beginning of monsoon.

Sk Md Zamaadujjaman, a resident at Wari, under the  DSCC, said that they could not open their windows due to the increase in mosquitoes outside.

He said that city officials were spraying insecticides in some areas while many areas remained outside of their coverage.

‘We are worried over the rising dengue cases amid the deteriorating Covid situation,’ he added.

Al-Amin, a resident at Mirpur, which falls under the DNCC, told New Age that although the mosquito menace had increased recently, the city authorities were not spraying insecticides regularly.

National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmitted Diseases Control Programme deputy programme manager Afsana Alamgir Khan told New Age that many hospitals in the capital had run out of seats due to the Covid outbreak and it would be difficult for the country’s health sector to tackle the dengue crisis alongside the Covid situation.

The city authorities said that they were giving more importance to creating public awareness so that residents clean their houses to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds. 

In the financial year 2020-21, the DNCC, however, made a budgetary allocation of Tk 70 crore for containing mosquitoes and the DSCC TK 300 crore for an ‘integrated’ mosquito control.

Urban planner Iqbal Habib, an architect, told New Age on Sunday that public awareness was important in containing Aedes mosquitoes but the city authorities should find out closed government, semi-government and private offices along with factories and business outlets, which were shut down due to the ongoing strict restrictions, as the establishments had become ideal mosquito breeding grounds.

He said that the city authorities should take necessary steps to clean the establishments. 

Public health expert Rashid-e-Mahbub told New Age that the country’s health sector had already collapsed due to the Covid crisis and the rise in the number of dengue patients was alarming.

‘If the dengue situation decorates alongside the Covid crisis, it would be difficult to tackle the situation. The authorities concerned should take necessary steps to contain the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes,’ he added. 

Local government minister Tajul Islam on Sunday directed councillors of the two Dhaka city corporations and other authorities concerned to contain Aedes mosquitoes and bring the dengue situation to a tolerable level within the next two weeks.

He also said that the government’s task was to make people aware.

If people are not aware and do not play a role in containing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, the government will not be able to protect the people, the minister said.

Officials of the two city corporations said that they were spraying larvicide and adulticide regularly to contain the breeding of Aedes to bring the dengue situation under control.

Dhaka North City Corporation has launched a ‘combing operation’ and awareness programmes to contain the breeding of mosquitoes from July 27 to August 7.

DNCC chief health officer Brigadier General Md Zobaidur Rahman told New Age that awareness was more important in containing Aedes mosquitoes.

‘If we can create public awareness, dengue will be contained soon,’ he added.

He said that they were holding roadshows, airing television commercials, giving leaflets and engaging with imams of different mosques for creating awareness about mosquito breeding grounds in residences.

He also said that they were spraying adulticide for killing mosquitoes and larvicide for larvae.

About stagnant water at bus terminals and other open places, including the ones of the government, the DNCC chief health officer said that they were issuing letters to the agencies concerned, asking them to take measures to clean their places.

DSCC chief health officer Brigadier General Md Sharif Ahmed told New Age that they were trying their level best to create public awareness about Aedes breeding grounds.

He said that city corporation teams also went to the areas where people become infected with dengue and the teams took action to contain Aedes mosquitoes.

He said that they were spraying adulticides with 750 fogging machines in 75 wards in the DSCC every afternoon.

DSCC chief executive officer Farid Ahmed on Saturday told New Age that they could cover a maximum of 30 per cent areas of the city corporation as part of their drive to spray insecticides.

He also said that there was no alternative to creating public awareness to contain the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.

DNCC chief executive officer Selim Reza told New Age on Monday that they had almost spent the budgetary allocation for mosquito control for the fiscal year 2020-21.

DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam has been campaigning for mass awareness to raise efforts against Aedes mosquitoes, dengue and Chikungunya since July 28.

But a large number of people have gathered at his programmes, ignoring Covid health rules like maintaining social distancing and raising the possibilities of further spread of Covid-19.

In 2020, the health directorate reported 1,193 dengue cases and three dengue deaths.

Some 1,01,350 dengue patients were hospitalised across the country with at least 276 of them dying of the fever in 2019.

In 2018, at least 10,148 people were diagnosed with the viral fever and 26 of them died of the disease.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/145288/dengue-takes-alarming-turn-in-dhaka