Sakibul Hasan
Environmental changes are increasing the risk of dengue in Dhaka. Stagnant water, intermittent rainfall, warm weather and various artificial water holding sites created in urban areas are providing favorable breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Against this backdrop, dengue infectious are rising rapidly across the country. To tackle the situation the government is set to launch a three-month special cleanliness and public awareness campaign from September 12.
According to the latest Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) data, 1,463 dengue patients were hospitalized and tree died in the 24 until 8am on September 9. This was the highest number of daily hospital admission recorded so for this year. Amid the three new deaths, the country's dengue death toll this year has risen to 133, while the total number of hospitalised patients has reached 46,938. At present, 3,252 dengue patients are receiving treatment in hospitals.
Thirty-six people have died of dengue in the first nine days of September alone. The figure is already closed to the 43 deaths recorded throughout August, despite September being less than one third over. Experts worn that the upward trend in infectious could continue if weather conditions remains favorable for Aedes breeding through September and October. Medical entomological Professor Kabirul Bashar's forecasting model suggests that if the current trend continues, dengue hospitalization could exceed 30.000 in September.
The environmental situation in Dhaka is also highlighting the growing risk of Aedes proliferation. A pre-monsoon survey jointly conducted by Dhaka South City corporation and the directorate General of Health Services Inspected 2,250 household between May 12 and 23 and found Aedes larvae in 281 properties. Aedes density was found to be above the acceptable threshold in 63 of the 75 words. Of these, 27 words where identified as highly vulnerable to dengue transmission.
Meanwhile, a three-month special cleanliness and public awareness campaign to prevent dengue will begin on September 12. Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the program on that day. As a part of the three-month campaign, special cleanliness and awareness activities are planned across the country every Saturday. City corporations and municipalites will also continue their regular cleanliness activities.
Expert say that simply killing adult mosquitoes is not enough to control Aedes. More significantly, breeding sites need to be identified and stagnant water removed. Changes in rainfall and temperature, combined with water accumulation in different parts of the city, can increase the number of potential Aedes breeding sites. Against the backdrop of the current dengue situation, experts therefore emphasize the need to incorporate environmental risk into preventive measures.
As dengue infectious continue to rise, hospital are facing increasing pressure while the urban environment is providing more opportunities for Aedes mosquitoes to breed. The effectiveness of the three-month cleanliness and public awareness campaign will therefore rely, among other factors, on how effectively these environmental risk can be reduced.
News Published By:
Bangladesh Diary
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