:.This time dengue situation may be worse

• 849 people died of dengue in the country from 2000 to 2022. 1,705 people died in 2023.
• The number of infected in the first two and a half months of this year is more than the same period last year.

special representative

Dhaka

Pictures of dengue

At the beginning of the year dengue outbreaks are more common. Last year dengue saw a record number of deaths in the country. This year’s dengu situation is expected to be worse than last year. Everyone has to work together to handle the situation.

Health Minister Samant Lal Sen and top health officials said these things in a meeting on ‘reducing the outbreak of dengue and chikungunya and coordinating medical services’ organized by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday. Mayors of two City Corporations of Dhaka were present in the meeting. The meeting was organized to enhance coordination of work on dengue prevention.

This time dengue situation:

After the meeting, the health minister told reporters that it is not possible for the government alone to bring dengue under control. Citizens should be active in mosquito control. Hospitals have been ordered to be prepared Referring to this, the health minister said that the work of making people aware in the ward should be done, people should be understood.

Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle  Noor Tapas expressed concern. At the meeting that the number of dengu deaths in the country is high. Atiqul Islam, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, said that mosquito killer drugs should be made easily available. Just as people go to the store to buy paracetamol, mosquito repellent should be simplified. The  Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation also said that they could not use BTI due to the money they bought last year. There was corruption in the supply of BTI. This year they will buy BTI directly from abroad.It is not possible for the government alone to bring dengue under control. Citizens should be active in mosquito control.

Samant  Lal Sen, Health Minister

Dengue:

In the main presentation about the  situation in the meeting . Additional Director General (Planning and Development) of the Department of Health Prof. Mirzadi Sabrina said that 849 people died of dengue in the country from 2000 to 2022. 1 thousand 705 people died in 2023 alone. The number of infected in the first two and a half months of this year is more than the same period last year. Mosquito surveys showed a high prevalence of mosquitoes.  The end of the meeting, he told Daily star news  if no concerted initiative is taken to control mosquitoes, there is a danger that the dengue outbreak will be higher this year than last year.

Mirzadi Sabrina said in her presentation that the health department has taken several initiatives to deal with the dg situation. These include enhancing surveillance, building capacity of health workers, updating dengo disease management guidelines, reviewing deaths, fixing dengue testing fees.

The meeting was supposed to approve the six-year (2024-2030) National Strategy for Dengue Prevention and Control. But it was not presented in the meeting by the Department of Health.

State Minister for Health Rokeya Sultana, Prime Minister’s personal physician ABM Abdullah. President of Bangladesh Medical Association Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Director General of Health Department Abul Basar Mohammad Khurshid Alam were present in the meeting among others.