With the number of people infected by dengue rising fast across all 64 districts, hospitals and diagnostic centres are running short of test kits.
Panicking, people are rushing to hospitals for dengue tests, but less than 10% of them are actually found to be positive and infected by dengue, said doctors.
Under these circumstances, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) urged people not to rush out and do blood tests for the dengue virus just because they are nervous or suspect an infection.
The directorate said people should do blood tests only upon a doctor’s prescription.
According to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), a total of 3,68,200 dengue kits were imported in the four days between July 31 and August 3, including 1,57,000 (NS1 & Combo) test kits, alone on August 3.
The DGDA has issued NOCs to help importers bring dengue testing kits immediately, said a media statement issued by DGHS yesterday.
Also, the import of raw materials is in progress for manufacturing the kits in country from August 6, which will help supply 35,000 kits a day, the DGHS media statement added.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General AKM Nasir Uddin, at a press conference yesterday, said many people are rushing to hospitals if their body temperature rises a bit or they feel pain.
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"But the results show they are not dengue infected in most cases,” said the director.
According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) authorities, about 900-1000 people are undergoing dengue tests every day, of which only 40-60 are found to be positive.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka University (DU) authorities have decided not to run dengue tests from today because of the unavailability of kits, said Dr Sarwar Jahan, acting chief medical officer at the DU Medical Centre.
Dr Sarwar Jahan could not say when testing kits would be available again.
Also, Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostics Owners Association Vice-President Dr Md Jahangir Alam said all hospitals and diagnostics centres have readjusted the government-fixed fees for dengue tests.
“But we are not getting any testing kits. In May, the price of a single kit was Tk120, but now it is Tk350, and there is scarcity in the market as well,” he said, after a meeting with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
The chamber announced it will provide financial assistance to FBCCI members if needed, so that members who import such kits can help the government provide testing kits and other mosquito-repellent lotions to hospitals in areas where dengue has been most rampant.
