Against the backdrop of chikungunya outbreak in the city this year, the government has scaled up preventive measures to tackle the mosquito-borne disease.
“Alongside creating awareness, we are giving clinical advice through the chikungunya control room round the clock to patients to deal with disease effectively,” Senior Scientific Officer of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Dr SM Alamgir told BSS on Thursday.
“A control room on chikungunya disease was opened on July 3 at the IEDCR. Anyone can contact the control room for consulting with doctors on chikungunya. Its phone numbers are: 01937110011 and 01937000011,” he said.
As the government alone cannot check outbreak of chikungunya disease, a 30-member national committee comprising officials concerned, physicians and members of civil society was formed aiming to monitor the overall situation of the disease, Dr Alamgir added.
“Chikungunya control room is receiving 80 to 100 calls every day from the city dwellers who are seeking medical consultation and relevant information on the disease,” he said, adding, “IEDCR is urging the people not be panicked on chikungunya, rather they should contact the chikungunya control room to get clinical advice and accurate information on the disease.”
IEDCR Director Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora said, “We are launching massive awareness campaigns through mass media and other means to make people aware on chikungunya.”
“We have to continue awareness campaigns and provide medical advice till September as breeding of aedes mosquitoes increase during the post-monsoon period,” she added.
People in Dhaka city should be more cautious to keep their houses clean and destroy all potential mosquito breeding sources to prevent chikungunya disease, Dr Flora added.
The government has opened ‘help desk’ at public hospitals across the country and Arthralgia (pain) clinics have also been opened for providing treatment to the affected people, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry sources said.
At a press conference held recently, Prof Dr Sania Tahmina, director of disease control unit and line director of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS), said, “We have conducted a survey at 50 sites of 47 wards in Dhaka city to identify risk areas for chikungunya disease.”
