Abdul Alim :
Four more persons, including. Mahedi Hasan a student of Titumir Government College, died of dengue fever in two city hospitals on Wednesday.
The three other victims were a garment businessman and two housewives. They died in Dhaka Medical Collage and Hospital.
The number of people hospitalised with dengue across Bangladesh so far this year has reached a record 32,340 with two more becoming the latest fatalities.
A total of 8,707 dengue patients were undergoing treatment on Wednesday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
The number of new cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning was 2,428 only 1,275 of those being in the capital. The hospitals across Bangladesh recorded 2,348 new dengue cases in the previous 24 hours.
Both the latest fatal cases occurred in Dhaka, the epicentre of the outbreak.
They include a student of Government Titumir College.
Mahedi Hasan, a postgraduate student of economics of Government Titumir College in the city, died at the United Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
He was hospitalised in a critical condition on Tuesday midnight.
Mahedi hailing from Cumilla’s Muradnagar was staying in the Shaheed Akkasur Rahman Ankhi Hall at Mohakhali.
He was admitted to the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital around a week ago with “extreme fever”, according to his friends.
Mahedi was transferred to the United Hospital when his condition deteriorated, they said.
The count of platelet in Mahedi’s blood dropped below 17,000 per microliter, doctors said. The normal level of platelets in blood is between 150,000 and 450,000 per microliter.
The other death from dengue was reported in the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The deceased, Awlad Hossain, was a readymade garment trader from Munshiganj.
He died around two hours after being admitted to the hospital around 2:30am on Wednesday.
With Awlad’s demise, the death toll from dengue in the DMCH rose to 18, Dr Md Nasir Uddin, an assistant director at the government hospital, said.
Two more Amena Begum passed away at 2:50pm and Asia Begum at 5:50pm at DMCH on Wednesday, Assistant Director of DMCH Dr Naseeruddin told the media.
Directorate General of Health Services recorded that 2,428 dengue patients got admitted to hospitals across the country in 24 hours since 8:00am Monday.
A total of 32,340 people have been infected with dengue between January 1 to August 7, the highest ever in the country. Last year the infected number was 10,148.
The DGHS official death toll in the dengue outbreak this season is said to be 23 till Wednesday.
A total of 2,428 dengue patients were undergoing treatment in last 24 hours on Wednesday evening, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
The government has allocated Tk 51.5 crore to help the city corporations and municipalities fight mosquitoes.
Meanwhile, Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam came up with the information at a view exchanging meeting with Bangladesh Climate Change Journalist Forum (BCJF) at the secretariat.
The two Dhaka city corporations were given Tk 7.5 crore each. Tk 1 crore each was allocated for Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram city corporations.
The other city corporations received Tk 50 lakh each while Tk 30 crore was allocated for all the municipalities.
Minister Tazul Islam said they are conducting mosquito extermination activities using the experience of Kolkata. “The menace will be under control if everyone keeps premises of their residences and offices clean.”
Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam has apologized to the families of those who died of Aedes mosquito bite.
He apologized at a press conference on Wednesday (August 7) at the DNCC Nagar Bhavan in Gulshan, to inform about the progress of mosquito repellent and pesticide spraying.
