DHAKA, Aug 30, 2019 (BSS) – Health experts finally coming up with good
news in terms dengue epidemic in the country, saying the number of patients being infected with the deadly virus is coming down.
According to the experts, the overall situation of the outbreak of the
mosquito-borne disease has also improved big time.
“People are now more alert 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,” Director
General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Abul Kalam Azad told BSS.
“The panic too has gone down among the people,” he said.
Referring lesser amount of rainfall in recent days, Prof Azad said,
rainfall increases chance for Aedes breeding, thus less rainfall is a
blessing in disguise for us.
At present, a total of 4,697 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 DGHS.
Around 1,025 new dengue patients got admitted to different hospitals in
the last 24 hours across the country while the figure was much higher even a week ago.
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 accumulate water around their offices,
houses or in their neighbouring areas. Change all accumulated water in
containers within three 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 during 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 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 conducting combing operations dividing each ward into 10 blocks for
the programme and deployed 10 cleaners to work in each block and an official
to oversee their activities.
As part of the programme, DNCC staffs are visiting 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.