Aedes mosquitoes outside Dhaka too

An anxious mother sitting beside her dengue affected son at Sylhet Osmani Medical College in Sylhet on 2 August 2019. Photo: Anis Mahmud
An anxious mother sitting beside her dengue affected son at Sylhet Osmani Medical College in Sylhet on 2 August 2019. Photo: Anis Mahmud

Aedes mosquitoes have been detected in places of the country outside of Dhaka, including the hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari. Researchers say that if the anti-mosquito drive is not stepped in these areas, the situation is bound to worsen.

Official records show that there are dengue patients in 64 districts of the country. According to the concerned civil surgeons and families of the patients, over 250 persons in 26 districts have contacted dengue locally. That means the virus is spreading in these districts through the Aedes mosquito.

So far, all over the country including in Dhaka, the number of dengue patients has exceeded 21,000. According to the health department’s health emergency operations centre and control room, till Friday a total of 21,235 patients have been admitted to hospitals for dengue treatment. On Friday, 6,582 patients were admitted to government private hospitals. Outside of Dhaka, 1,969 were admitted to various hospitals in different places of the country.

A father spends time with his dengue affected child at Chittagong Medical College, Chittagong on 2 August 2019. Photo: Jewel Shil
A father spends time with his dengue affected child at Chittagong Medical College, Chittagong on 2 August 2019. Photo: Jewel Shil

According to official records, 14 patients have died of dengue so far. However, from reliable sources in various government and private hospitals and from Prothom Alo investigations, 72 patients have died of dengue so far.

Professor of biology at Jahangirnagar University, Kabirul Bashar, told Prothom Alo, “There are Aedes mosquitoes in almost all major cities of Bangladesh.”

In the meantime, around 12.9 million persons are expected to be leaving Dhaka for their respective homes in districts around the country for the Eid holidays. It is feared that many of them will carry the dengue virus with them.

Entomologist Manzur Chowdhury, speaking to Prothom Alo, has said that Aedes mosquitoes have been traced in Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Rangamati and Sitakunda. He said is it is only natural that Aedes mosquitoes will spread around the country.

*This report originally appeared in the print edition of Prothom Alo and was rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir.