Noman Mosharef :
The dengue situation is getting worse day by day. The number of death of dengue patients has increased to 27, while 350,000 people have been infected by dengue fever till date across the country, according to the disease control wing at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
It said, 403 new dengue patients have been admitted to different hospitals in 24 hours on Monday, the highest in a single day this year across the country. The situation may deteriorate in the coming months, said the disease control wing.
Analysing the statistics about those who took medical treatment from the hospitals after dengue fever, the disease control wing said all victims are not recorded.
Meanwhile, Heath Emergency and Control Room statistics showed that as many as 7,179 people have already been admitted to different hospitals with dengue fever this year. According to the government statistics, last year 10,148 people were admitted to the hospitals with dengue fever whereas WHO said 507,400 people suffered from dengue fever in 2018.
However, the authorities pointed out that only two per cent of the admitted patients are recorded. The government has no data over the rest of 98 per cent patients, they said, adding some 85 per cent of the patients do not take treatment.
World Health Organization (WHO) helped the government to draw scenario of dengue patients in Bangladesh.
DGHS Director General Abul Kalam Azad said, “I have no idea what method the World Health Organization had followed to find out the assumed number.”
He admitted that many remained missing in records of DGHS. It does not cover all hospitals, Prof. Azad added.
He also said that the hospitals do not send information to the government about the patients treated at their outdoors.
Hospital records showed 403 people got admitted to 49 private and public hospitals on Monday alone.
Meanwhile, doctors at Suhwardy Hospital said the civil surgeon of Habiganj died of dengue fever at their hospital on Sunday night.
Till Monday as many as 349 dengue patients remained admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital while 171 at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital.
“The hospital is flooded with dengue patients,” said the Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital’s director Brigadier General Brayan Bankim Halder.
Trends of the last few years show that people mostly got infected with dengue in August and September.
Government records showed 5,050 people have been infected with dengue in July alone. More 1,665 people got admitted to the different hospitals till Monday. But, the actual number is higher than the government’s figure.
An official at the National Malaria Control Programme at the Health Directorate said that two specialists of the World Health Organization are working with the government over a report on dengue patients.
The report will be revealed soon, added the official.
Both the DSCC and DNCC authorities have mentioned that “Very high density of population in Dhaka is favourable for breeding of Aedes mosquito’. Mosquito lays eggs on stagnant water.”
The DGHS has identified DNCC’s Tejgaon, Turag, Pallabi, Moghbazar, Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Kafrul, Khilgaon, Rampura, Mirpur, Pirerbagh, Mohammadpur, Shewrapara, Kazipara, Banani and Baridhara areas as breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
In the DSCC’s Doyaganj, Narinda, Swamibagh, Gendaria, Dakkhin Mugdapara, Basabo, Maniknagar Biswa Road, She-e-Bangla Nagar, Hazaribagh, Ramna, Segunbagicha, Shahbagh, Farashganj, Shyampur and Uttar Jatrabari are also favourable for breeding of Aedes mosquito.
DNCC and DSCC Chief Health Officers said that they are spraying aerosols by ‘poger man’ and launching awareness campaigns involving mosque’s Imams and school teachers to tackle the situation.
They said, if the affected people feel pain in the stomach and suffer diarrhoea, they have to be taken to hospital immediately.
