WITH at least 42,470 cases of hospitalisation and 214 deaths from dengue, the outbreak situation is likely to get worse this year unless the government takes urgent steps to contain the spread of the viral fever. Virologists and physicians are also concerned that the outbreak may turn more fatal this year as people are reporting their experience of being infected by dengue virus more than once in the same season. People鈥檚 immunity to fight the virus is compromised when a person is infected by the virus more than once within a short period of time, and it increases the risk of fatality rate. According to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research, four dengue virus serotypes are active in Bangladesh. The public hospitals, however, do not have any mechanisms to identify patients with prior experience of infection; they rely on patients鈥� accounts. There is also no awareness programme to inform the public about the higher risk when infected by dengue virus more than once. The government should therefore take immediate steps to assess the outbreak situation and make changes in the prevention strategy accordingly.
Virologists affiliated with different public hospitals, however, blame the government for its failure to conduct timely and effective anti-mosquito drives. In August, all 47 districts were affected by dengue, with Dhaka reporting the highest number of confirmed cases. During the peak monsoon, in July-August, the student-led movement against the Awami League government and violent policing of protests disrupted the routine anti-mosquito drives. In reality, the outbreak situation may have been worse than the official report because many people were unable to access health services or test for dengue during the curfew that the AL government imposed in July to quell the protests. Ordinary citizens have already raised concern that the routine anti-mosquito drives, which were flawed and inadequate, remain irregular since the fall of the AL regime. The interim government, when restoring the anti-mosquito drives, must consider the flaws of the existing dengue prevention strategies. In 2023, when over 3.21 lakh hospitalisations and 1,705 deaths 鈥� the highest since Bangladesh began keeping track of the mosquito-borne disease 鈥� were reported, the government鈥檚 anti-mosquito drives were criticised for their failure to contain the disease. Entomologists said that the fogging methods and chemicals used to control larvae and adult mosquitoes in Bangladesh were not effective.
The government should, under the circumstances, immediately assess the emerging dengue outbreak situation and consider the risk of being infected more than once. In doing so, it should ensure that the dengue treatment protocol is reviewed so that patients with a previous history of dengue infection are identified immediately after their hospitalisation and an awareness campaign is launched to inform the public about the risk of complications if infected more than once. At the same time, the government must redouble its efforts in mosquito control and equip hospitals with adequate funds and necessary medicines.