Mothers fret over dengue as children back to school after Eid holiday

Children have started to return to classes after a long Eid-ul-Azha holiday amid fears of dengue infection with the mosquito-borne deadly fever spreading at a rapid rate, especially in the city, reports bdnews24.com.

Worried mothers were waiting for their children outside the schools in the capital on Monday after the government instructed the educational institutions to focus more on cleanliness to prevent daytime mosquito bites.

Aedes aegypti mosquito, the known carrier of the dengue virus, breeds in stagnant fresh water and remains most active for two hours after sunrise and for several hours before sunset, making monsoon the most suitable season for the spread of the disease.

This year, the disease started spreading even before monsoon amid sporadic rains. According to a government survey conducted at that time, the presence of mosquitos in Dhaka is at dangerous levels. Experts fear that dengue may spread even further.

The government reported the hospitalisations of 889 dengue patients in the latest daily count - the highest this year - taking the total tally since January to 13,843, on Monday.

It also reported three more deaths from the mosquito-borne disease, taking the toll this year to 76, including 29 in the first 10 days of July.

In this situation, Shahida Tasnim, mother of Abdullah Al Mahim, was waiting for the second grader with others outside Government Science School at Tejgaon.

"We feel tense when we send our kids to school. Some are not even sending their children to school," she said.

Shiuli Zaman, the mother of another student, said they keep the home clean so that their children remain safe and healthy.

"But what can parents do if the streets, schools, classrooms have mosquitoes," she said, calling for steps by the government to keep the schools free from mosquitoes.

Afsana Akter Tania, mother of Abdullah, said she did not hear about government instructions for schools to prevent dengue.

Rahima Akter, the headmistress, said they clean the school every day. "But children do not follow the rules all the time. Water can gather in packets and bottles thrown here and there."

She said city corporation workers spray mosquito repellents regularly, but no one came on Sunday.

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam said every school should have their own fogger to spray mosquito repellents.