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Dengue not ‘epidemic’ yet: DSCC Mayor


Published : 26 Jul 2019 09:59 PM | Updated : 31 Aug 2020 07:05 PM

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon on Friday said the prevalence of dengue virus in the city cannot yet be called an epidemic. "Dengue cannot be called an epidemic yet (in the city). The word epidemic has a specific definition," he said.

Mentionable, a disease is considered to reach epidemic proportion when the number of death from a certain disease crosses the one percent threshold of the total number of affected.

Khokon said it can be confirmed whether it is epidemic or not only after consultation with relevant government organisations.

"A particular quarter is trying to exaggerate the real situation," he said.

The DSCC mayor further said now the number of dengue patients is around 7,000-10,000. There can never be over 3 lakh dengue patients in Dhaka city.

The mayor was talking to reporters – after attending a view-exchange meeting with teachers and scout leaders of the city’s schools and colleges. Dhaka Zila Parishad and Bangladesh Scouts jointly arranged the meeting at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy auditorium in the capital.

The mayor urged all to come forward to fight the prevailing dengue menace together, assuring that the DSCC will always stand by the city dwellers suffering from dengue fever.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is monitoring the dengue situation round-the-clock and giving instructions to address the menace,” he said, adding the DSCC is trying its best to stand by the dengue patients and save their lives.

Calling upon the school students and scouts to work together to motivate the city dwellers to destroy mosquito breeding sources, he said that the city councillors would provide all-out support to them in this regard.

The activities, carried out by school students and scouts, will accelerate the initiatives of dengue control, which will help address the existing dengue situation, the DSCC mayor said.

He said mobile teams of the DSCC are working in the city to provide primary treatment to dengue patients.

Khokon said the DSCC will distribute aerosol sprays among the city’s schools free of cost aiming to protect the students from mosquito bites and check dengue fever.

A vested quarter is spreading child lifting rumours and misleading information about the number of dengue patients, he said, adding the government will take stern actions against those involved in spreading rumours and misleading information.

“They are spreading rumours to halt the country’s economic progress,” the city mayor added.

Chief Coordinator (SDG Affairs) at the Prime Minister’s Office Md Abul Kalam Azad, Secondary and Higher Education Division Senior Secretary Md Sohorab Hossain, acting Chief Information Commissioner Suraiya Begum, PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hassan, Health Services Division Secretary Md Asadul Islam, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md Akram-Al-Hossain, Local Government Division Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed and former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Prof Dr Pran Gopal Datta, among others, spoke at the meeting with Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Mohammad Jainul Bari in the chair.