DENGUE MENACE At least one hospitalised a minute

Five people including the wife of an additional inspector general of police and an Eden College student died of dengue on Sunday in the country, as the disease continued to kill people with hundreds of cases being hospitalised every day.

Although government data shows that 18 people so far succumbed to the disease this year, unofficial tally puts the death figure at minimum 64.

Meanwhile, in an irony of fate, while health minister Zahid Maleque asserted on Saturday that the dengue situation was ‘moderately under control,’ the number of cases hospitalised with the disease in a single day surpassed the ever-climbing record on Sunday since the disease appeared in 2000.

In the 24 hours ending at 8:00am Sunday, at least 1,870 new dengue patients were hospitalised across the country, including 1,053 in the capital and 817 in different districts, according to the control room.

This figure translates into the statistic that more than one patient was hospitalised in the country every minute.

According to the government’s health emergency and operation centre control room, among the 18 deaths  reported, 16 were from private hospitals and two from autonomous Dhaka Shishu Hospital.

But, at least 10 people died of dengue at the government’s Dhaka Medical College Hospital, officials confirmed.

The current dengue scourge that public health experts describe as an ‘epidemic’ earlier killed three doctors, including the Habiganj civil surgeon and the wife of a health ministry deputy secretary.

On Sunday, Sayeda Akhter, 54, the wife of additional IGP Shahabuddin Quraishi, died of dengue at a hospital in the capital.

She breathed her last at around 11:30am, confirmed Sohel Rana, assistant IGP at the police headquarters.

Sayeda, who left behind four children and husband, was under treatment at Square Hospital.

Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital manager (marketing) Shohidul Alam said that Eden College student Fatema Akhter Shanta, 20, from Kashimpur in Gazipur, who used to live in a rented residence at Hazaribagh in Dhaka, died after suffering from dengue shock syndrome at the hospital at about 5:00pm on Sunday.

She had been suffering from dengue fever for five days and was admitted to the hospital at about 11:00am on Saturday, he added.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost’s assistant sub-inspector Abdul Khan said that Dipali Akhter, 23, from Monohardi in Narsingdi died of the disease at the hospital’s High Dependency Unit at about 3:30pm on Sunday.

She was admitted to the hospital with the fever on August 1, he said.

In Khulna, a 70-year-old woman and a schoolboy died of dengue on Sunday – the first reported dengue deaths from the district, reports United News of Bangladesh.

The deceased are Marjina Begum and Monjur Sheikh, 13. Marjina was admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital a week ago and died in the early hours of Sunday.

Assistant Registrar of KMCH medicine department Dr Partho Pratim confirmed her death.

Monjur, a tenth grader of Kazdia Government High School, was admitted to Gazi Medical College and Hospital in Khulna at around 11:00pm on Saturday.

He died about seven hours later, said the hospital’s Chairman Gazi Mizanur Rahman.

Besides, at least 24,804 dengue patients were hospitalised this year as the dengue infection has spread across the country, showed the control room.

In a curious development, local government minister Md Tazul Islam suspended his scheduled Sunday press briefing on containing the dengue menace and controlling aedes mosquitoes at his office in the secretariat.

Local Government Division public relations officer Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan said that the minister would hold the press briefing later, without specifying any date.

Earlier on August 1, health minister Zahid Maleque, returning from a personal foreign trip, also cancelled a scheduled press conference on the dengue situation at his ministry.

In last four days, at least 6,967 dengue patients were hospitalised and 22,612 since July 1.

On Sunday, at least 7,398 dengue patients were under treatment at different hospitals, including 4,969 in the capital and 2,429 in different districts.

Among the dengue patients under treatment, at least 697 were under treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday, 428 at Mitford Hospital, 148 at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, 369 at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, 380 at Mudga Medical College Hospital, 319 at Kurmitola General Hospital, 174 at Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital, 163 at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital, 183 at Combined Military Hospital, and 145 at Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital.

Division-wise, at least 443 dengue patients were under treatment at different hospitals in Dhaka division (excluding the capital), 416 in Chattagram, 421 in Khulna, 342 in Rajshahi, 215 in Rangpur, 229 in Barishal, 264 in Mymensingh and 99 in Sylhet division.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net