Health Minister Zahid Maleque has attested to the fact that the country is witnessing an alarming upward trend in dengue cases, with the Dhaka city authorities taking diversified actions to tackle the situation.
"Dengue infections kept on increasing. Despite being packed with new patients, hospitals are still catering to them. We're taking care of patient management well," he said, addressing a virtual event Wednesday.
"Our doctors are trying their very best to lower the fatality rate," he added, urging the patients to go to hospitals in time, to avoid further complications.
Talking about controlling Aedes mosquitoes, he said: "Those tasked with it have to be more active."
He urged the authorities concerned to intensify anti-mosquito drives.
Another death was reported from dengue in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in the country to 62 since January. Twelve patients have died this month.
During the period, 584 more patients were hospitalized with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the new patients, 382 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka.
A total of 1,911 dengue patients, including 1,285 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, the DGHS has recorded 10,455 dengue cases and 8,482 recoveries.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022, the highest on record after the 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Experts have already warned that the capital is at high risk of a dengue outbreak. On Tuesday, they said 57 wards of both city corporations in Dhaka are highly vulnerable to dengue.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) deployed drones Wednesday to identify mosquito breeding sites, especially on rooftop gardens.
DNCC Chief Executive Officer Selim Reza said: "It will take 15 working days to complete the survey in the entire city corporation area."
The drone survey is going on in five areas under the DNCC.
Both city corporations launched a three-day drive to fight the mosquito menace on Tuesday.
The DNCC will start its next anti-mosquito drive for a month on July 8.
‘Bangladesh in a better position'
Amid criticism from different quarters over the dengue outbreak, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh Wednesday claimed that according to data and statistics, Bangladesh is in a better position than other developed countries in controlling dengue.
Taposh said: "No one can eradicate dengue. No country could. We were able to keep it under control. If you compare the data and statistics with developed countries, you will see that we are in a better position compared to other countries, although our death rate has increased."
Claiming that the spread of the Aedes mosquito, which carries dengue, is under control compared to other countries, he said: "Even though the amount of rain has been more than other countries, we have been able to control dengue."
Advising the DGHS to pay more attention to dengue deaths, the mayor said: "We need to increase the quality of our medical services. Early treatment should be ensured so that patients do not go into an alarming state. Then we can reduce the death rate."
Worst yet to come
Kabirul Bashar, professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University, told the media that the dengue crisis will take a further serious turn in the coming days. To be specific, the situation will keep worsening till September.
"Previously, we forecast that dengue fever would spread to a large extent after Eid-ul-Azha. As you can see, Dengue cases are being reported outside Dhaka too. And it will increase over time," added Bahshar.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main carrier of the viral disease, are found all over the country, mainly owing to unplanned urbanization, said the entomologist.