DHAKA South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon yesterday asked residents not to be panicked over the recent dengue outbreak. The situation is not alarming, he said, “Despite an increase in number of people suffering from dengue fever compared to the last two to three years.” He also inaugurated a two-week long crash programme to eradicate Aedes mosquito larvae to control dengue outbreak in the city.
The DSCC Mayor said the DSCC representatives will go from house to house and destroy Aedes mosquito larvae and clear their breeding grounds. He also urged the DNCC to start a similar programme. The mosquito-borne disease dengue has silently struck the city amid the variation in rainfall pattern amid the spread of Chikungunya, a viral disease transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes.
According to medical officials, the symptoms of the dengue are sudden high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. Sometimes, the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.
It doesn’t need to mention that dengue fever has created widespread panic among the city residents. Usually, we observe the outbreak of this fever for the last several years. Although the dengue is an all-season disease, its pressure becomes high particularly from June to October. Newspaper reports said the situation is comparatively bad than previous year. In the last 24 hours ending yesterday 6pm about 37 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals. Last month, the daily admitted patients’ average was 44. Out of total 2632 patients 10 have already been died.
We think, like two city corporations the Health Ministry should come forward with coordinated programmes to save the lives of people. The awareness programme among the city dwellers in this regard should get first priority. At the same time, the citizens should take initiatives along with the city authorities to keep clean the town.
