69 physicians among 202 health officials diagnosed with dengue

Physician Farhan Yasmin joined Mugda Medical College Hospital (MMCH) at the beginning of this month. Four days into her new job station on 9 August, she was diagnosed with dengue virus. She was treated at the hospital till 18 August.

“Three members of my family had been diagnosed with dengue. I’m not sure whether I was infected with the virus at home or at the hospital,” Farhan said.
Farhan Yasmin is not the lone physician who has been affected by dengue. As many as 69 physicians among 202 health offcials have so far been diagnosed with dengue this year.

Accordiong to the control room of Health Emergency Operations Centre at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), so far 69 physicians, 80 nurses and 53 health assistants have been infected with the mosquito-transmitted virus.

Most of the victims are employees at the government hospitals.

Control room’s assistant director physician Aysha Akter told Prothom Alo that among the infected, 62 are at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Of them, 25 are physicians, 22 nurses and 15 health officials.

The disease control wing at DGHS in a recent study finds that the presence of Aedes mosquitoes is at the alarming level at two government hospitals –DMCH and MMCH.

Some 14 physicians and 22 nurses have been diagnosed with dengue at MMCH alone.

At the moment, six physicians, 11 nurses and four health assistants have been undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

A total of 11 physicians and 14 nurses were diagnosed with dengue at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SSMCH).

Director at SSMCH professor Uttam Kumar Barua said, “The officials have been asked to wear full-sleeves dresses, long pants and shoes with socks."

The surroundings of the hospital are being cleaned every day, he added.

The control room of Health Emergency Operations Centre at DGHS also says so far 30 physicians and medical assistants at the private hospitals were infected with the deadly virus.

Besides, a health official named Tapan Kumar Mandal died of dengue infection. He was among 126 health assistants appointed by DGHS for working with the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

Entomologist Monjur Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that Aedes mosquitoes first bit the dengue patients and later physicians, nurses and other medical officials get infected through those mosquitoes.

“So, the patients must be kept inside mosquito nets,” Monjur said.

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Toriqul Islam.