DHAKA, August 26, 2019 (BSS) – The number of patients being infected with
dengue fever is coming down across the country, thanks to the cleanliness and
awareness campaign of the government.
The overall situation of the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease is also
improving, according to the Director General (DG) for health services.
“People are now aware of the deadly disease because of cleanliness and
awareness building programmes . . . it is one of the main reasons behind
decreasing the number of dengue patients across the country,” DG of health
services Prof Abul Kalam Azad told BSS.
Another reason is less rainfall, he said, adding that the rainfall has
reduced in these days, which is unfavorable for breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.
At present, a total of 5,562 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at
different hospitals and clinics across the country, which was 6,733 just a
week before, according to Health Crisis Management and Control Room of
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Around 1,251 new dengue patients got admitted to different hospitals in the
last 24 hours across the country while the figure was 1,615 on August 19.
On July 27, the government issued a statement to make people aware of
taking certain steps to stop spread of dengue and measures to protect them
from being inflicted by the mosquito-borne disease. People were asked not to
allow accumulating water around their office, house or in their neighbouring
areas. Change all accumulated water in containers within three (3) days, it
suggested.
As Aedes mosquito usually bites during the day, people were advised to
cover their body, as much as possible, with clothes and use mosquito nets
even while sleeping in the day time.
Dengue affected persons have been advised to identify it by not only the
occurrence of fever, headache, muscular pain or red skin rash, as lately it
has been observed that there are exceptions to it, the release noted.
Earlier on July 24 the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a set of
directives asking concerned government agencies to launch a social awareness
campaign to negate rumours leading to fatal incidents and check spread of
dengue fever.
The directives were issued in line with instructions of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina.
The PMO asked the authorities concerned of the two Dhaka city corporations
to strengthen their anti-mosquito drives to check dengue.
It also instructed the health authorities to form a special medical team in
each city hospital to ensure smooth and proper treatment for the dengue
patients.
The PMO also directed authorities concerned to observe a dengue “awareness
week” from July 25.
The PMO asked all government officials to clean their respective offices
and to prevent dengue alongside motivating people to keep their residences
and neighbourhoods clean by removing stagnant clean water from different
pots, particularly flower tubes, air conditioner machines and refrigerators.
Both the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City
Corporation (DNCC) launched month long programmes to destroy Aedes mosquito
and its breeding grounds on July 20.
DNCC has started the operation dividing each ward into 10 blocks for the
programme and deployed 10 cleaners to work in each block and an official to
oversee the activities.
As part of the programme, DNCC staffs were asked to visit every house in
every area during the combing operation to check Aedes mosquito larvae in
houses or establishments.
The DSCC assigned a 10-member team to conduct operation in 50 houses every
day to destroy Aedes mosquito breeding places.
Till August 25, DSCC mobile courts visited a total of 75,243 buildings and
sent four persons to jail. The courts warned 16 building owners and fined
them Tk 31.90 lakh.