The hospitalisation rate from dengue infection and death rose sharply in August amid a relaxed anti-mosquito drive in the peak monsoon season.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, at least 20 people died of dengue, and 4,041 people were hospitalised across the country in the first 21 days of August, including one death and 296 hospitalisations in 24 hours on Wednesday.
Eight people died in June and 12 in July in the first two months of the monsoon, when 798 and 2,669 were hospitalised, respectively.聽
With this, at least 76 people have died of dengue, and 10,361 others have been hospitalised since January this year. Of them, at least 54 people died, and 4,281 were hospitalised in Dhaka.
City dwellers said that they have hardly seen any anti-mosquito drives in the past few weeks when the country was rocked by student-led protests that brought an end to Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 15-year rule as prime minister.聽
Shahidul Islam, a resident of Mirpur in the capital, said that he could not remember when anyone came to spray insecticide to kill mosquitoes in his area.
鈥業t seems the number of mosquitoes has increased significantly since the start of this month. We have seen rain many times this month. But we did not see anyone coming with fogger machines to kill mosquitoes,鈥� he said.
At least 14 people died of dengue in January, three in February, five in March, two in April, and 12 in May.
The DGHS recorded that a total of 1,055 dengue patients were hospitalised in January, 339 in February, 311 in March, 504 in April, and 644 in May.聽
Dhaka North City Corporation chief executive officer Mir Khairul Alam claimed that community-based mosquito control measures were disrupted due to political unrest in the past few weeks, but they continued regular insecticide spray efforts.
National University entomologist GM Saifur Rahman feared that dengue infection would see a late pick this year due to heat waves in the pre-monsoon and early monsoon.
鈥楧engue will continue to rise till October,鈥� he apprehended.
He said that currently, serotype-II dengue is responsible for most deaths and hospitalisations.
鈥業f the serotype changes, it will increase death and hospitalisation,鈥� he said.
An official of Dhaka South City Corporation claimed the number of infections and deaths in areas under their jurisdiction was insignificant.
Some 20鈥�25 people out of over 200 daily hospitalisations are from the DSCC area, he claimed.
He said that out of over 10,000 hospitalisations, only 1,054 were from the DSCC area, and only eight people died out of 76 in the area.
He said that DSCC continued its regular anti-mosquito drive鈥攍arvicide spray in the morning and adulticide fogging in the evening.
鈥榃e have one year鈥檚 storage of insecticides,鈥� he said.
He added that mobile court drives and inspections against water stagnation had remained suspended for the past few weeks due to political instability.