With three more deaths reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, the official death toll from the mosquito-borne disease rose to 281 this year. This is the highest-ever number of dengue fatalities recorded in a single year in Bangladesh. The previous record of 179 deaths was reported in 2019. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recorded 62,189 dengue cases and 61,513 recoveries so far this year.
The outbreak of the Aedes mosquito-borne viral disease is increasing across the country at an alarming rate. A recent study projected that dengue transmission could occur all year round in Bangladesh because of climate change.
Dengue, the fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease, has been ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 global public health threats. The number of dengue patients is surpassing the capacity of all public hospitals in the capital. Many hospitals in the city are struggling to provide treatment to the rising number of dengue patients due to a shortage of beds. However, experts assert that the DGHS data about dengue patients does not give a complete picture of the dengue outbreak as the organisation collects data from only 125 hospitals.
Dengue mosquitoes thrive in areas with stagnant water in puddles, water tanks, containers and old tyres. Hence, at the household level, people need to be aware of these issues, and keep their houses clean. The best way to prevent the disease from spreading in settlements is to remove waterlogged areas, keep the settlements always clean and properly dump bio-degradable garbage away from human settlements and use insecticide-treated mosquito nets. These are not difficult tasks. Proper hygiene and sanitation can help prevent the transmission of dengue virus.
Proper directives should be provided to the hospitals in case of encountering any dengue cases as in both dengue and coronavirus cases the symptom of fever is common. The government should deploy expert teams to visit dengue-prone areas and inform people about how to destroy all potential mosquito-breeding sites. Also, in order to control Aedes mosquitoes, devising an integrated initiative, especially involving locals has become the need of the hour. If city authorities do not devise necessary measures immediately to control Aedes mosquitoes, there might be a surge in the number of dengue patients.
