Dengue attacks ‘clean Rajshahi’, even its hospital

The Aedes mosquitoes, which are responsible for spreading dengue—a deadly disease with no specific treatment—are now on the prowl in Rajshahi city, infecting more and more people every day, even inside the government hospital.

Though it is well-known as a green and clean city, and the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) is conducting a special campaign to destroy mosquito larvae and imposing fines, patients are admitted to the hospital due to dengue. One of them died recently.

Residents say they are not getting rid of mosquito attacks due to a lack of effective management.

Even the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) compound is found to be a fertile breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes. Relatives of dengue patients see the fertile breeding ground of dengue in front of the specialized wards of government hospitals as "darkness under the lamp".

Dhaka Tribune

During a visit to the hospital on Monday morning, the work of cleaning the bushes inside the compound was going on. But the mosquitoes were seen breeding in stagnant rainwater at several places in the hospital's emergency and outdoor departments.

In addition, the free movement of mosquitoes was seen in the dirty, mossy water accumulated in front of Ward No 30, which is specialized for dengue patients.

Shaila Begum came out of this ward after seeing a relative suffering from dengue.

She said: "My cousin got dengue a few days after coming from Dhaka. Then he was admitted to the hospital. The treatment here is good. But the environment outside is not satisfactory. Sadly, mosquitoes are breeding in the dirty water in front of the ward. It is important to pay attention to this."

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Brigadier General Shamim Ahmed, director of RMCC, said that there should not be a mosquito breeding ground in the hospital. "I go around and observe everything. Medicine is given along with cleanliness. Still, if there is any weakness, I will look into it."

Five patients were admitted to the dengue ward of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on Monday. On the other hand, six patients were discharged. A total of 24 patients are currently under treatment at the specialized ward.

This year, a total of 85 people have received treatment from the hospital so far. And 60 people have recovered and returned home.

In the 24 hours till Monday morning, Bangladesh recorded eight deaths from dengue, the highest toll in a single day in 2023, taking the toll this year to 114.

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During the period, 1,589 more patients were hospitalized with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the new patients, 847 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it.

As of Sunday, a total of 5,441 dengue patients, including 3,347 in Dhaka, were receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

Since January 1, the DGHS has recorded 22,667 dengue cases and 16,912 recoveries.

In 2022, the country logged 281 dengue deaths—the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019—and recorded 62,423 cases.

Higher risk

The dengue outbreak started increasing immediately after the recent heavy rains as mosquito infestations increased due to stagnant water in abandoned places. The residents have questions about the extent to which the authorities concerned are aiming in that direction.

Recent field-level visits show that various government, private, and autonomous establishments have become more fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes than private establishments.

According to the survey data of the Entomology Department of the Rajshahi Divisional Health Department, Aedes mosquito larvae were found in 38% of the water in Rajshahi city. Only 13% of them have harmful Aedes mosquitoes. The gross index (an index measuring the density of Aedes mosquito larvae) is 46.67%.

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The researchers collected 75 larvae from 75 places in five wards of the city, and 28 were found to be Aedes mosquito larvae. According to the World Health Organization, if the gross index is higher than 20%, the area is considered to be at risk of a dengue outbreak. As such, Rajshahi is in the "higher risk" category.

Special operation

According to official sources, the RCC authorities spend about crores of taka per year only on mosquito killing. The city dwellers are benefiting from it. But in some cases, it has different aspects. Some areas have a high degree of mosquito breeding.

As the dengue situation worsened recently across the country—mainly in Dhaka, where over 800 people are hospitalized every day—the RCC started a 15-day special campaign on Monday to destroy mosquito larvae with larvicide and create awareness.

About 1,300 workers from the Waste Management Department have been engaged in this work. Officials said that regular activities will continue after the special operation.

Chairman of the RCC Waste Management Standing Committee Sariful Islam Babu said they are on alert about the dengue situation. "However, prevention of dengue is not possible only for the city corporation. The city dwellers should also come forward."

He said there is no alternative to cleanliness, public awareness, and the prevention of mosquito breeding in dengue prevention.

RU on alert

On the other hand, Rajshahi University (RU) authorities have taken steps to prevent dengue and create awareness on campus. On Sunday afternoon, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Mohammad Sultan-ul-Islam conducted a meeting with the hall provosts.

The meeting decided to review the dengue situation on campus and take the necessary measures to prevent it.

Later, the pro-VC sat with the committee concerned on Monday morning to implement and monitor the decisions of the previous meeting. It was attended by four doctors and chairpersons of the Pharmacy and Biochemistry and Microbiology departments, among others.

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Prof Sultan instructed the officials to maintain the cleanliness of the campus, including the residential halls, and to drain the accumulated water to prevent the spread of mosquitoes. To create awareness, it was decided to distribute pamphlets and campaign through billboards.

The meeting also decided to give quick tests and the necessary treatment if someone shows symptoms of dengue or is infected with dengue. For this, tests and beds have already been arranged at the university's Medical Center.