The dengue situation in the country keeps getting worse every day and may further deteriorate amid incessant rain unless more appropriate measures are taken immediately to destroy mosquito-breeding grounds, experts said.
They also underscored the need for a concerted effort from all stakeholders in order to prevent deterioration as dengue has already spread in many other districts outside Dhaka, a hotspot for the vector-borne disease.
The warning came as the experts were approached by the FE on Friday when the deadly disease claimed two more lives in the past 24 hours ending 8:00am on the day. A total of 164 dengue-infected patients were hospitalised in the one-day period.
Taking the latest daily count into account, total fatalities and hospitalision cases reached 42 and 1,336 respectively in the country this year, official figures revealed.
According to data available with the DGHS, the first half of September, 2022, was a dreadful one as 4,215 patients were hospitalised and 21 died in the fortnight, half the total counts in the year.
Talking to the FE public health expert Dr. M H Choudhury Lelin said the untimely rainfall has created stagnant water in many places, causing a surge in infections.
The country is witnessing heavy rainfall in the current autumn season which usually takes place in monsoon, taking many people off-guard to effectively prevent the spread of the disease, resulting in a surge in the daily caseloads, said the public health expert.
"It is quite usual to witness increased number of dengue patients following rains," he noted.
Currently the mosquito-borne disease has significantly spread outside Dhaka city - the typical hotspot which is densely populated - to districts as far as Cox's Bazar and Bandarban, he said.
"The situation may worsen if the country continues to witness heavy rainfall and people don't take necessary measures to check the spread of mosquito (breading places)," he said.
In addition to the city authorities, common people should also be cautious to ensure cleanliness in their surroundings, he said.
"Unlike other mosquitoes, Aedes, which is responsible for spreading the dengue virus, breed in clean and stagnant water mostly available in city structures like construction sites among others," he said.
Adviser at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Dr Mohammad Mushtuq Husain said people need to be aware of the situation to check the spread of the disease.
"At one hand many people are getting infected with the virus, on the other the frequent rainfall is creating fresh breeding grounds for Aedes mosquito," he mentioned.
Currently, a total of 1,336 dengue patients are receiving treatment at different hospitals or healthcare centres in the country - 983 in the capital and 353 in other regions.
Of the latest 164 hospitalisation cases, 138 were reported from the capital and 26 elsewhere.
Outside Dhaka city, Mymensingh division reported four hospitalisation cases, Chattogram seven while Khulna and Rajshahi six each.
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