The devastating impact of climate change has increased dengue infection recently in Bangladesh.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malek urged everyone to be vigilant and take measures to be safe from dengue infection.
The minister said this while addressing as the chief guest the official opening ceremony of World Immunization week at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Sunday (May 7).
The health minister said, 'we must save ourselves from mosquito bites. Be careful about cleanliness, he added. The surrounding environment should be kept clean. Care should be taken that water does not accumulate on the roof of the house, in the yard.
According to a study by the World Health Organization, the dengue outbreak in the capital of the country may increase in the future with the increase in temperature and rainfall in addition to the decrease in humidity.
Since 1990, the prevalence of the Aedes mosquito-borne disease dengue has been doubling every decade worldwide. A major dengue outbreak occurred in Bangladesh in 2019. Highlighting the data of that year, the report said that half of the people who were infected with dengue in the whole country were in Dhaka. And the death rate of dengue in Dhaka was 77 percent of the total deaths in the whole country.
Heavy rains in Dhaka in February of that year and favorable temperature and humidity in the following months contributed to the widespread spread of dengue. Due to changing weather conditions, the incidence of vector-borne diseases like dengue is likely to increase in big cities like Dhaka and Chattogram during monsoon.
According to the official report, from January 1 to May 6 this year, a total of 1,800 people were admitted to the hospital with dengue. Among them, 588 people were admitted in Dhaka. And 492 people in the concerned districts.
In Bangladesh, 14 people were infected with dengue in 24 hours till 8 am on Saturday (May 6).
The Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room of the Department of Health said in a notification that 13 new patients have been admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka. Another person has been admitted to the hospital of the respective district.
Currently 85 dengue infected people are under treatment in various hospitals in Bangladesh. Out of these 68 people are receiving treatment in Dhaka and 17 in respective district hospitals.
Besides, 984 people have returned home with a discharge certificate after treatment. 512 of them are residents of Dhaka. The remaining 472 people live in different districts. In addition, 11 people died due to dengue at the same time.