People are concerned as there is a sharp rise in dengue cases across the country in recent times. Dengue cases are threatening to overwhelm Dhaka’s stretched healthcare system amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Some 143 dengue patients were hospitalized across the country in 24 hours till 8am Tuesday. It is the highest single day cases of dengue this year.
A total of 1,954 patients have been diagnosed with dengue this year and only 51 of them are from outside Dhaka, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The two mayors of Dhaka south and north city corporations -- Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam—pledged to keep Dhaka clean. Moreover, they said that the ongoing drives will continue in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas to control dengue.
The mobile court teams are active and have been conducting drives in the city to check Aedes mosquito larvae. Moreover, the city corporation workers have been spraying larvicide to get rid of Aedes.
Heavy torrential rain causes water stagnation in most of low-lying areas and most places in Dhaka city. This becomes a more welcoming habitat for mosquitoes, ultimately putting people more at risk of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika.
Experts suggested people to remove or treat standing water around everyone’s home. The houses, bushes, roads and other establishments must be kept clean. Stagnant water on the premises must be removed. Water in vases needs to be changed frequently. Irrigation sites, drains, rain gutters need to be empty. Standing water from flower pots, tires, wading pools, pet dishes, and ornamental ponds and bird baths needs to be topped out, they added.
Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.
People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection, found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. The virus responsible for causing dengue is called dengue virus (DENV). There are four DENV serotypes, meaning that it is possible to be infected four times.