A severe Dengue outbreak like that of 2019 would be a massive problem amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for the DGHS has said.
“If we have to face the same situation or worse than that of 2019 in this year amid the Covid-19 surge, we fear of the death toll would rise sharply,” said DGHS spokesperson and Director (Disease Control) Dr Nazmul Islam.
He made the remarks during the biweekly health bulletin on the Covid-19 situation on Sunday.
Referring a pre-monsoon Aedes survey of DGHS, he said health authorities found maximum density of Aedes larvae in Ward 32 of Dhaka North City Corporation, which includes Lalmatia and the Iqbal Road area, and in ward 48 of Dhaka South City Corporation, which consists of the Sayedabad and North Jatrabari areas.
The density of larvae measured on the Breteau index (BI). A BI score of 23 was recorded in Ward 32 of DNCC, while a BI of 20 was recorded in DSCC Ward 48.
“We have enough Rapid Testing Kits for detecting Dengue,” Dr Nazmul added.
He urged the people to ensure there was no stagnant water anywhere and to clean buildings thoroughly to minimize the risk of creating Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.
