Dengue fever may take a serious turn as a substantial number of such cases have already been reported this year.
Record shows that some 36 people have died of dengue in last five months while 2,835 people were infected with the dengue virus between January 1 and May 30 of the current year.
A recent study conducted jointly by the two city corporations of Dhaka and Directorate General of Health Services has found that 18 wards of the city corporations pose high risk of dengue infection as Aedes larvae have been found in 15 per cent of houses.
Health experts stressed the need for reducing the risk of dengue by removing waste materials that contain water and spray larvacide at places to control the mosquito breeding.
Be-Nazir Ahmed, former Director Disease Control of DGHS, told the Bangladesh Post that the risk, which was found at the survey, must be reduced.
Raising a ring of alarm, he said the dengue fever has already spread across the country.
He suggested that the authorities concerned may run ward-wise programmes to remove the waste which contain water and spray larvacide at reservoir of the houses.
“If the risk is reduced to one to two per cent, then the dengue infection rate may automatically come down,” he said.
“Mosquitoes cannot lay egg without water. If we are able to address the mosquito breeding, then the dengue virus will not spread,” he added.
About three lakh people were infected last year alone, breaking a 23-year record of patients infected with the virus. The country had a record of 2.5 lakh dengue patients in last 23 years since its outbreak in 2000.
The recent survey was conducted for 10 days at 3,152 houses under the two city corporations between April 17 and April 26.
It found that the ward-12, 13, 17, 20, 31, 32 and ward-36 of Dhaka North City Corporation and the wards under the DSCC are ward-03, 04, 05, 13, 15, 16, 17, 23, 52 and ward-56 are vulnerable.
Health department said the ward-12 of DSCC and the ward-13 of the DNCC carry the highest risk of dengue respectively.
DGHS Director (Disease Control) Dr Sheikh Daud Adnan said some 3,152 houses under the two city corporations were inspected during the survey.
“The survey found Aedes larvae in various locations, including water-logged rooms or building floors, plastic drums, and various types of abandoned plastic containers,” he told reporters at a briefing at DGHS.
In DSCC, 16.39 percent of abandoned containers were found, compared to 14.30 per cent in DNCC.
DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said that they want to control the mosquito breeding with the support of all to keep the people safe.
“We do not want to blame any organisations rather we want to control the mosquito breeding aiming at keeping the people safe from the dengue infection,” he said while exchanging views on resisting dengue and Chikunguniya diseases.
