Contain dengue spread outside Dhaka
The dengue situation seems to be taking a critical turn as we pass through the monsoon season. In the first 12 days of July, 14 people reportedly died from the disease, bringing the total number of deaths this year to 56. While Dhaka was the hardest hit in previous years, this year all 64 districts are reportedly at risk of a major outbreak. As of July 14, the total number of dengue cases in the country stands at 14,880. Of them, more than 11,000 patients are from outside Dhaka. As dengue spreads across the country, it will be even more difficult to contain transmission, ensure proper treatment, and prevent further loss of life.
Reportedly, the cases outside Dhaka are increasing rapidly. For example, in Cumilla's Daudkandi, 65 new cases of dengue were reported in 24 hours from July 13 to July 14. Between June 18 and July 14, blood samples of a total of 11,708 people were tested in the upazila, and out of these, 3,294 were diagnosed with dengue. The situation in Chattogram and Barishal is similarly worrying, with more and more people being diagnosed with the virus as days go by. The situation in other districts is also deteriorating fast.
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At this point, the authorities need to make targeted interventions to avert a potential nationwide crisis. While immediate steps should include managing the hotspots, entomologists have suggested prioritising larviciding and elimination of breeding sources over widespread fogging, since fogging has largely proven ineffective. Along with this, community-level efforts are needed to eliminate breeding grounds at the household level. For that, the government must undertake large-scale awareness campaigns. Particular interventions are also needed for the flood-affected districts to prevent people from catching dengue, with a special focus on coastal regions, as people there often store rainwater in poorly covered containers that may create an ideal breeding ground for Aedes.
Furthermore, dengue should be declared a reportable disease. Currently, we do not know the real picture of the spread outside Dhaka, since not all hospitals and diagnostic centres submit reports of dengue cases to the respective district civil surgeon's office. Reporting should thus be made mandatory. Lastly, all hospitals and health complexes at the district and upazila levels must be properly equipped to provide essential care, so that critically ill patients do not have to be rushed to Dhaka at the last moment.
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