State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit has said the ongoing dengue outbreak may peak in the last week of September and early October.
He made the remarks at a seminar marking World Suicide Prevention Day, organised by the Aachal Foundation and the Human Rights Development Centre, at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday.
Dr Muhit said dengue cases had started rising again and that the government had launched a three-month campaign to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We are currently facing an urgent public health issue—dengue. Dengue cases have risen again; the increase began yesterday. Two days ago, we predicted that the peak period would arrive in the last week of this month and early October,” he said.
“Prevention is key here. We held a meeting yesterday under the leadership of the prime minister, and we are launching a three-month campaign regarding dengue.”
He said the campaign would involve voluntary organisations and the public, with a focus on dengue prevention, cleanliness drives and raising awareness.
“By involving people and ensuring that everyone looks after their own homes and workplaces, we can protect ourselves, as well as the relatives we live with and the colleagues we work alongside, from dengue,” he said.
He added that the government was also emphasising cleanliness in urban areas as part of its dengue prevention efforts.
Regarding the government’s dengue response, Dr Muhit said there were two main objectives: reducing infections and lowering the mortality rate.
“To achieve this, we—along with the city corporations, Local Government and the Ministry of Health—are working together on prevention, cleaning operations and larvicide application,” he said.
He said steps had also been taken to reduce dengue-related deaths, including refresher training for doctors.
“Working in collaboration with the Society of Medicine, a standard management protocol was developed, and 300 doctors have already received training based on it,” he said.
“Yesterday, we held a meeting with civil surgeons from across the country. We will continue this training programme in every district and upazila nationwide.”
Dr Muhit said dengue outbreaks often cause sudden increases in patient numbers, resulting in shortages of hospital beds, saline and dengue testing kits.
“We began stockpiling supplies two months ago. Based on current trends, we have adequate stocks of dengue test kits and saline. We have also taken measures to ensure this supply chain remains uninterrupted in the future,” he said.
On dedicated dengue beds, he said hospitals had already been instructed to designate beds for dengue patients.
“Should the number of cases rise further, we can increase bed capacity during the peak season,” he said.
“At the same time, we have urged the private sector to step up and play a role during the dengue peak. They must not arbitrarily hike prices during this period and are required to maintain dedicated beds for dengue patients in their facilities.”
