Mayor admits high prevalence of dengue

Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokon on Tuesday admitted that the prevalence of dengue was higher this year.

At a workshop held at a city hotel, he also admitted that the effectiveness of the corporation’s pesticide used in controlling mosquito lessened in recent times.

‘The prevalence of dengue this year is somewhat higher than past few years,’ he said, adding, ‘There is no reason to panic as the situation is under total control.’

A survey, conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services in March this year has found high presence of the disease vector, Aedes mosquito, in the capital.

Quoting the directorate, Sayeed Khokon said that between January and July this year a total of 2,100 people were hospitalised in the capital while more than 1,875 people went home after taking treatment while two people died.

A physician also died  who suffered three heart attacks after coming down with dengue, he said and added that in the capital dengue patients were coming from around the country.

‘The statistics could not show that the prevalence of dengue was very high,’ he said, adding, ‘With confidence I am saying that dengue will be controlled completely and there is no reason to fear till now.’

The number of dengue cases was the highest since 2000 in 2018 as at least 26 people died of dengue and 10,148 others were hospitalised with dengue in Dhaka, according to the health directorate.

At the programme, the mayor said that the effectiveness of the current pesticide in killing mosquitoes dropped to an extent. But he said that he did not think that the effectiveness was zero.

He assured that the pesticide was not adulterated.

The mayor said that they were working to change the pesticide while it would require approval from the World Health Organisation as it prescribed the medicine.

‘This process will require time and in the meantime we have no other alternatives but to use the existing pesticide which we brought in earlier,’ he continued.

He mentioned that in Thailand, between January and July this year, 28,000 people became affected by dengue and 43 of them died while in Singapore 6,221 people were affected by dengue this year.

He also said that from July 15 the DSCC authorities would operate mobile medical team at every ward, at 450 spots in total, for giving free treatment and administering free medicine and would also send critical patients abroad when necessary.

Raising awareness among people was the most important part of prevention of dengue, he added.  

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net