Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is set to launch a special hotline from July 15 to provide healthcare facilities for people affected by dengue and chikunguniya.
Inaugurating an 11-day crash program to reduce the mosquito menace in areas under his jurisdiction, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon yesterday said, anyone affected by the diseases can receive free healthcare provided by mobile teams of the city corporation.
He also urged city dwellers not to panic as a total of 450 mobile teams will work in all the DSCC wards to spray insecticide to counter the mosquito menace and provide free healthcare facilities from July 15.
Dhaka's two city corporations usually spray insecticide to tackle the mosquito problem.
However, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) researchers recently found that insecticides used have no effect on the adult mosquitoes as they have become resistant.
The number of dengue patients was reported to have nearly doubled in the last five months compared to that of the same period last year.
According to the Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a total of 249 dengue patients were reported from different hospitals in Dhaka till May.
Of them, two died.
As of June 17, the total stood at 558 dengue patients, with 309 reporting the virus in less than a month.
Last year around this time, the number of dengue patients was nearly half at 295 in June, where three people lost their lives in their battle with the virus.