The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has marked parts of Narinda, Wari and Sutrapur under wards 38, 40, and 45 of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) as high-risk zones for the spread of dengue.
Deputy Program Manager (DPM) of the National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmitted Diseases Control Program Dr Md Ekramul Haque disclosed the information during a workshop on Pre-Monsoon Aedes Survey 2022 in the capital on Wednesday.
The survey was conducted on 110 sites under 100 wards of the capital.
Dr Ekramul said, of the 100, three wards under the DSCC were found to have a higher Breteau Index (BI) than 20. These wards are 38, 40 and 45, he said, adding that none of the wards under DNCC has a BI over 20.
The highest BI was recorded in Mohammadpur, he added.
The DGHS has found that only 5.1% of the total population of mosquitoes in the city were Aedes while Culex captured the bigger portion with over 94%.
Man-made mosquito breeding spaces must be cleaned and public awareness was key in this regard, the official further said.
According to the survey, plastic drums and buckets are the most common breeding spaces for mosquitoes in the city followed by sodden floors.
Director General (DG) of DGHS Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam at the program stressed the need for creating public awareness in reducing the risk of dengue.
The officials claimed that the DGHS had taken adequate measures this year, and that there would not be a dengue outbreak.
The survey revealed that BI readings across the city had increased over the last two years.
The DGHS officials attributed this rise in BI to people’s reluctance to maintain hygiene at home after the first wave of Covid-19.
“The increase in BI largely depends on the serotype of dengue,” former DGHS DG Prof MA Faiz said at the event.
Prof Dr Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR, said that the dengue virus serotype 3 had been identified in late 2017, and there was an outbreak in 2019.
Prof Robed Amin in his speech said that the possibility of a Chikungunya outbreak was low this year as it has only one strain “but dengue has many strains. Therefore, the possibility of a dengue outbreak is far superior to that of Chikungunya”.
