Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked authorities concerned to take all out measures in order to prevent dengue outbreak in the country’s 64 district.
She also ordered the district administration to do their best in order to treat patients with dengue fever. Sheikh Hasina came up with the directives while exchanging Eid greetings with officials at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
PM’s concern came against the background of the worst outbreak of dengue fever in the last few weeks throughout the country, especially in Dhaka.
Experts say that Adese mosquito born dengue fever will continue till the month of October. On the other hand, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has already declared that the next seven days would be more “challenging,” in combating dengue.
Meanwhile, the government, non-government, different socio-cultural organisations, volunteer groups, teachers, students and conscious people have taken various programmes to combat dengue. But the overall dengue situation has not improved as yet as many Aedes mosquito breeding grounds in capital Dhaka and other parts of the country have not been destroyed.
Health experts have also said that the dengue viral diseases are spreading fast as Aedes mosquitoes are laying eggs at empty homes, schools, offices and other business establishments. Government and private hospitals, clinics and community hospitals in capital Dhaka, other metropolitan cities, district towns, upazila headquarters and unions are overflowing with patients.
Besides, on Sunday more 265 with Dengue fever have been admitted to different hospitals and clinics across the country. Country’s hospitals and clinics are struggling to provide treatment to the dengue infected patients as more people infected with dengue fever are coming to hospitals every day. At least 53,182 cases have been detected till date on Sunday. The number of reported infections is five times that of last year. The actual figures are likely to be higher as many cases go unreported.
On the other hand, the government has already launched a mobile App called Stop Dengue in order to help people detect potential mosquito breeding grounds. Apart from health ministry, the education ministry earlier also issued two separate circulars to create mass awareness and take effective measures to tackle the outbreak of dengue virus.
The directives had been given to all officials at divisional, regional, district and upazila levels to become aware to stop the outbreak of dengue. All educational institutions, offices and houses of officials and staffs had also been asked to clean bushes, water-filled containers and flower tubs regularly to prevent breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.
BSS adds; around 86 percent out of total 53,182 patients, who have been admitted to hospitals across the country, have returned home after recovery, said Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in a meeting today. Director General of DGHS Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad chaired the regular monitoring meeting of DGHS regarding the current dengue situation.
It was stated in the meeting that a total of 45,974 patients infected with the mosquito-borne disease have left hospitals so far. According to a Health Crisis Management and Control Room of DGHS release issued on Sunday, a total of 1,706 new dengue patients were admitted to different hospitals in the last 24 hours.
Among the 1706 patients, 734 were admitted in Dhaka while the other 972 were admitted to hospitals outside the city. A total of 7,168 patients are currently under treatment in different hospitals and clinics across the country. Among them, 3,668 patients are being treated at 40 different hospitals in the capital while the number of patients outside Dhaka is 3,500. However, 40 people died from the disease this year since January last.