The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said if immediate measures are not taken to control the Aedes mosquito population, the country may face a severe dengue outbreak during the monsoon season.
“The number of dengue patients has started increasing throughout the country. After the Dhaka city, the highest number of dengue cases has been reported in Cox’s Bazar, particularly among the Rohingya population,” Director (Disease Control) of the DGHS Prof Dr Nazmul Islam said.
He said areas with high population density, such as the north and the south city corporations of Dhaka, are witnessing a high density of mosquitoes.
“Our focus of attention is on the entire capital. Our job, however, involves managing dengue patients, but it is responsibility of the local government units to take measures based on the prevalence of dengue patients in various areas,” he added. Nazmul Islam said 1,066 dengue cases have already been reported in Rohingya camp this year.
The increasing number of dengue patients in Rohingya camp is largely attributed to inadequate water supply and lack of awareness of the disease, he said. At the press conference, Prof Dr Ahmed Kabir, additional director general (planning and research) of the DGHS, said the dengue outbreak has led to a rise in doing dengue tests.
He said the government has already fixed the dengue test fee for both private and public hospitals. If any private hospital overcharges for the dengue test, action will be taken against the healthcare facilities, he added.
According to the DGHS, government hospitals have been instructed to charge a maximum of Tk 100 for the test popularly known as NS1 antigen test while private hospitals can charge up to Tk 300 for NS1 antigen test, Tk 300 for IgG and IgM and Tk 400 for CBC test.
The DGHS report said 67 new dengue patients were admitted to different hospitals across the country including in Dhaka in the last 24 hours until Sunday morning. No death, however, is reported.
It said a total of 209 dengue patients were undergoing treatment throughout the country on Sunday. Of them, 180 patients are receiving treatment in Dhaka city.
