Staff Reporter :
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) authorities have begun a 10-day special drive to create awareness among the people against mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
On Wednesday Mayor Atiqul Islam inaugurated the drive in Mohammadpur area where popular actor Mosharraf Karim and DNCC officials were present among others.
The program has been launched at a time when the country is witnessing a surge in dengue cases in Dhaka due to the monsoon amid Covid-19 pandemic.
DNCC mobile courts realized fines of Tk 4.41 lakh in 15 cases during anti-dengue drives on Tuesday.
During the drive, various awareness campaigns were carried out and people were encouraged to follow health guidelines and remain vigilant to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes. The country’s health authorities reported 143 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning.On the other hand, the executive magistrates of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) found Aedes mosquito larvae in 23 buildings of Dhaka.
After visiting 394 houses and under-construction buildings, 11 mobile court teams of the DSCC imposed fines amounting to Tk three lakh in 23 cases after finding a favorable environment for Aedes mosquito breeding in them.
The drives were conducted in Shiddheswari, Azimpur, Maniknagar, Imambag, Jorbhita, Matuail, Elephant Road, Imamganj and Kadamtali areas of the capital.
Dengue was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives. Thereafter, the country learned to deal with the disease much better, but it did become more dangerous.
Fatalities almost fell to zero at one stage, before spiking again in 2018, leading to the horrific crisis the following year.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths were reported in 2020.
As many as 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019, according to official figures.
