Bangladesh did not have Aedes mosquitoes before, but foreign flights may have brought them here, Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam has said.
“Neither we had the Aedes mosquitoes nor the disease here in Bangladesh. The mosquitoes came from foreign countries by flight or with some passengers,” he said at a meeting organized to review the activities of the city corporations and other ministries to combat dengue.
The minister said before 2019, Bangladesh did not suffer too much from dengue. “We did not have much experience with the disease. But after 2020, we understood the viral fever more and knew which sectors needed interventions.”
He later said that in 2021, Bangladesh reported some 20,000 dengue patients and few deaths. However, in 2022, a dengue outbreak has been reported in several countries, including Bangladesh.
“Generally we have noticed that dengue cases see a declining trend from September. However, climate change has been affecting the number of cases. It is sad to say that October is coming to an end, but there is no sign that cases are declining this time,” LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam said.
He also said Bangladesh's population density is one of the main reasons why the mosquito-borne virus spreads so quickly here.
The government has been importing materials that are needed to kill mosquitoes, especially the Aedes mosquito, since the beginning of the year.
“Mayors of both city corporations collected the gadgets and were allocated Tk2 crore and Tk5 crore,” the minister said.
As of Saturday, Bangladesh's dengue fatalities have risen to 134.
In the last 24 hours till Saturday, some 440 patients were hospitalized with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).