The dengue infection is feared to soar again this year amid countrywide lockdown due to coronavirus if the number of the aedes mosquitoes cannot be reduced and the breeding grounds cannot be destroyed.
Many city dwellers expressed their agitation and agony saying that mosquito menace has become intolerable and increased the risk of dengue, aedes-mosquito borne disease.
Although officials of two city corporations in Dhaka claimed that they are spraying pesticides, citizens said mosquito menace has increased in the capital.
On the other hand, most people are not testing for suspected dengue infection now owing to coronavirus panic. As a result, the number of dengue patients has decreased in April, experts said.
Apart from testing suspected coronavirus cases, they urged the citizens to test dengue.
Dr Ayesha Akter, assistant director of the DGHS Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room told Bangladesh Post, “One patient, infected with dengue, admitted to the hospital in last 24 hours. Although, the total number of dengue infection is higher comparing first four months of last year, the infection cases is lower in April.”
Regarding the prevalence of dengue, Entomologist Kabirul Bashar said, “Dengue infection is lower in April. This does not mean that no one is suffering from dengue. No one is going to the hospital fearing coronavirus infection.”
In case of fever, he suggested testing dengue and chikunguniya, besides suspected Covid-19 test.
He also said, “City Corporation’s mosquito prevention unit should work from the beginning to kill mosquitoes and destroy the breeding grounds. People should be aware to clean the surroundings of their houses. Otherwise, dengue can go out of control.”
On the other hand, aedes mosquito larvae has been found in at least 44 wards out of 98 in the capital, according to a health service survey report released in March.
However, Dhaka city dwellers have already been terrified due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak while dengue cases is triggering more fear in them.
Kasfia Ahamed, 27, a resident of Bashundhara residential area, said, “Although City Corporation conducted their activities twice a month, the mosquito prevalence alarmingly increased here.”
Mahbub, a resident of Mugda area said the nuisance of mosquitoes increased vastly after shutting mass transportation and business establishments. Huge presence of mosquitoes are seen in drains and stagnant water on city roads too.
“We have been suffering now due to the mosquito menace in the city. The government should focus on this matter now,” he added.
Dhaka North City Corporation Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Md Mominur Rahman told The Bangladesh Post, “Our mosquito control workers are regularly spraying larvicide and pesticides. We hope that the way the city people will cooperate with us to prevent mosquito breeding by keeping their own households neat and clean as they did to tackle coronavirus.”
The mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Atiqul Islam said, "I am personally monitoring whether the mosquito control workers are doing larviside in the morning. We also had meetings with all the organizations on mosquito eradication. He also urged everyone to keep their houses clean."
Meanwhile, last week, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) Md Tajul Islam said that mobile courts will be operated after May 10 to make sure that the breeding grounds of the Aedes mosquito, the type that acts as the vector for dengue, are destroyed.
According to data of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a total of 298 dengue infection cases were reported in Bangladesh between January 1 and May 5, while only 131 cases were recorded in the first four months in 2019.
In 2019, more than one lakh dengue infected people were hospitalized across the country.
Meanwhile, experts warned that city-dwellers may witness a worse outbreak in July- August this year if proper actions are not carried out to curb the mosquito.