The incidence of dengue fever caused by a tropical virus has been on the rise in the capital and the rest of the country, health officials said.
Until now, the highest number of incidence was reported from the capital prompting health officials to alert the two city corporations to remove stagnant clean waters from around the houses.
Officials said the highest number of patients— 144, were recorded in July.
And until August 12, they said, 64 more patients were identified.
Most of the dengue patients were from Dhaka,’ Mahmudur Rahman, director of IEDCR told New Age on Tuesday.
The actual figure could be higher, he said.
He said, ‘As the number of patients increased in the city we assume that the number of patients also increased in the rest of the country.’
With the onset of the wet season in May the health ministry began monitoring patients with the fever.
The Institute of Epidemiological Disease Control and Research alerted the two city corporations to launch drives for the removal of stagnant clean water wherever they may be.
It called for involving the personnel of the two city corporations to launch the drive in each of their 10 zones also to motivate the communities to remove clean stagnant rain water around the houses every week.
A total of 256 dengue patients were identified across the country in this season, said IEDCR officials.
The number of patients could increase by September, said Rahman.
But the incidence of dengue was less compared to 2011, he said.
The health experts said rainwater trapped in potholes or containers left in yards and places around dwellings were providing the breeding ground for aedes mosquito.
Houses and yards should be kept clean and dry and abandoned pots, containers, old tyres and coconut shells that could trap rainwater should be removed, they said.
Generally, aedes mosquito bites in the daytime, but they also often bite at night, Rahman said.
The breeding of aedes mosquitoes takes about 10 days, said Benazir Ahmed, health service director, diseases control.
He advised cleaning the houses and their surroundings at least once a week during each monsoon to check the aedes breeding and incidence of dengue.
Benazir said that campaigns were launched in all the 10 zones by the
staff of the two city corporations to motivate the communities to remove stagnant rain water from around the houses at least once every week.
Experts said patients having fever for more than three days with pale pink rashes on skin should visit a doctor.
‘No antibiotic is required to treat dengue patients. But temperature should be kept under control by taking paracetamol and sponging the body,’ Ahmed advised.
‘But taking painkillers could be dangerous for dengue patients,’ he said.
Last year, 641 dengue cases were reported by hospitals in Dhaka city while in 2011, some 1,350 dengue cases were reported.
Doctors have been urged to be vigilant after the rise in the number of people struck down by dengue fever.
-With New Age input
