Health authorities said that 104 more people were hospitalised with dengue in capital Dhaka in 24 hours until Saturday morning amid a rise in the mosquito-borne disease. Across Bangladesh, some 422 patients diagnosed with dengue are receiving treatment in different hospitals for the disease as of Saturday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The vast majority of them are in the capital.  Read: Dengue: 25 cases in 24 hours DGHS reports 419 patients are receiving treatment at different hospitals in the capital, while just three patients were listed outside Dhaka. Some 1,574patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January – 1,149 of them have been released after recovery. The recent spike in dengue cases has added to the burden on healthcare providers as the country continues to grapple with the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. DGHS spokesman and line director Dr. Nazmul Islam advised testing for dengue as well as coronavirus in case of temperature. He said medicine should be taken on the advice of a registered doctor only in case of treatment. If necessary, one may contact the hotline number of DGHS.   Read: DGHS daily update: 85 more cases of dengue added The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020. It marked a dramatic and largely unexplained drop from the previous year, which was the worst year on record for dengue in the country. Official figures state 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019. Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the years that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better, but it did become endemic. Fatalities almost fell to zero at one stage, before spiking again in 2018, leading to the horrific crisis the following year.

Mobile court drives will be conducted in the two city corporations of capital Dhaka soon in an effort to control any possible dengue outbreak, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam.  “A meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday to take necessary steps in this regard. After repeated attempts to raise awareness among people over any dengue outbreak, people do not take it seriously. That’s why mobile court drives will be conducted to control the spread of dengue,” he said. Read: Risk of dengue outbreak rises amid lockdown “Legal action will be taken against those if anyone is found responsible for breeding Aedes mosquitoes and breaching government directives through fine and other punishment, no matter whether the establishments are owned by the government or not. You’ve no right to harm the lives and property of people,” Tajul warned. “We should be aware of stagnant water as it is the breeding place of the Aedes mosquito. It’s possible to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes by using kerosene,” the minister suggested. Tajul went on saying, “After learning lessons from the bitter experience of the 2019 dengue outbreak, we’ve taken effective measures in 2020, and we had been able to control the outbreak of dengue. Besides, the ministry will appoint adequate manpower, including pesticides, fogging machines and magistrates to operate the mobile courts this time.” Read: 32 more dengue cases reported in 24 hrs “If we work in a coordinated way, it can be possible to control Aedes mosquitoes, and the mayors of the two city corporations are working with sincerity. We need the awareness of people to make the plan a success. Or else, it’s not possible to control mosquitoes through drives,” he added. Mobile court drives will be conducted within two or one days for controlling any possible dengue menace in the two city corporations. Ten magistrates have been appointed for conducting mobile court drives, said the minister. “The number of dengue patients is increasing day by day in the two city corporations alongside the death rate. Panic has gripped the city dwellers over dengue,” he said. According to sources at the two city corporations, 536 people have been found infected with dengue till July 7 and the number of cases in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is higher than that of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). Read: 53 more Dengue cases reported in 24 hrs Talking to DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, he said, “A ten-day anti-mosquito drive was conducted from June 1 to June 12 this year. The drive to take legal action against any establishment will continue.” “Everyone should be aware of controlling dengue, aedes mosquito and Chikungunya. People should check for stagnant water on the rooftops of buildings, flower vases and other abandoned places. We should keep our houses and other places clean to ensure stop breeding of Aedes mosquitoes,” Atiqul added. He also urged people to clear stagnant water within three days. Meanwhile, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, said, “Mobile court drives are being conducted to kill mosquitoes and the activities will be brought under a dynamic system as we’ve seen a surge in dengue cases in the city. We’ll strengthen monitoring in wards. We’ve asked the city councillors to talk to the owners and owners’ associations of flats and apartments and the general secretaries of the associations to allow workers so that they can spread medicines.” Taposh added: “Sometimes we noticed stagnant water in the middle of two buildings and different abandoned things. We should clean up those for destroying aedes larvae.” Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Brig Gen Zobaidur Rahman said, “Our drive will continue and we’ve the data of those house owners where we’ve got Aedes larvae and now we’ve alerted them after sending SMS to them.” According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh reported 48 dengue cases in 24 hours until Saturday morning. Some 179 patients diagnosed with dengue are currently receiving treatment at different government and private hospitals across the country till then. The recent spike in dengue cases has compounded worries among people as the country continues to grapple with the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.   

Twenty-one new dengue patients were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka in the last 24 hours until Thursday morning as the mosquito-borne disease continued to rise during monsoon, authorities said. During the period no dengue patients were reportedly hospitalized in other parts of the country. READ:20 new patients hospitalized amid surge in dengue cases Eighty patients diagnosed with dengue are currently receiving treatment at 41 government and private hospitals in Dhaka while one outside the city, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). A total of 392 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and of them, 311 have been released after recovery. Health authorities reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020. According to official figures, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019. Read: 2 dengue patients hospitalised in 24hr Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000 when it claimed 93 lives. In the following three years, the fatalities almost fell to zero. However, the mosquito-borne viral infection struck again in 2018, killing 26, and infecting 10,148 people.