Dengue cases are rising in Jessore, with 1,448 cases reported in the district this season and 123 patients currently undergoing treatment at government hospitals.
According to the district health department, 1,302 patients have recovered and been discharged so far, while 19 have been referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. Two people have died of dengue this season. Abhaynagar has recorded the highest number of cases, with 596.
Health officials said Jessore is among the districts reporting the highest number of dengue cases after Dhaka. Cases are reportedly higher in rural areas than in the town.
Experts attribute the spread to several factors, including Jessore's position as a major transport hub, persistent waterlogging in Abhaynagar, Monirampur and Keshabpur, intermittent rainfall, and relatively better healthcare facilities that attract patients from other areas.
At Jessore 250-bed General Hospital, dengue patients are being treated beyond the designated 20-bed dengue ward. Patients are also being accommodated in the male and female medicine wards.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Hossain Shafayet said 51 dengue patients were receiving treatment across the dengue and medicine wards. Additional doctors and nurses have been deployed, while there is currently no shortage of medicines or saline, he said.
Professor Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, chairman of the environmental science department at Jessore University of Science and Technology, said the district's extensive transport links could facilitate the movement of Aedes mosquitoes and dengue patients.
Meanwhile, Jessore's health department has been without an entomologist for two years. Former district entomologist Aminul Haque retired two years ago, leaving the post vacant. Haque said Aedes larvae have been found in discarded tyres, rooftops, along highways, and in the Nawapara and Benapole areas, as well as in rural communities.
Civil Surgeon Dr Masud Rana said intermittent rainfall and waterlogging were contributing to the spread of dengue. He warned that cases could increase further in October and urged people to take preventive measures and seek treatment promptly.