Dhaka to drown in dengue danger this year too

The country is bracing for another dengue outbreak this year due to the high presence of Aedes mosquitoes in the capital, with a significant number of people expected to leave Dhaka for their village homes during Eid-ul-Azha, potentially spreading the disease to their family members.

A post-monsoon survey by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) revealed extensive breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes in both Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

Sheikh Daud Adnan, director of Disease Control and line director of Communicable Disease Control at DGHS, warned that if Aedes mosquitoes persist as indicated by the survey, dengue cases are likely to rise this year, especially after rainfall, which facilitates mosquito breeding.

Adnan also expressed concern that the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha celebrations could exacerbate the situation as people travel outside the capital. “Dengue-infected individuals may spread the disease to others in their home villages during the Eid vacation.”

The findings were presented by Adnan at the “Pre-Monsoon Aedes Survey Report 2024” dissemination seminar at the DGHS headquarters in Mohakhali on Tuesday.

The report highlighted an alarming dengue situation in the capital, with numerous hotspots for Aedes mosquito breeding identified in both DSCC and DNCC.

Survey results show that 38 out of 40 surveyed wards in DNCC and all 59 surveyed wards in DSCC are at high risk of dengue due to the high presence of Aedes mosquitoes. DNCC has 54 wards while DSCC has 75 wards.

“More than 20 Breteau Index (BI) was found in 12 wards of DNCC and 29 wards of DSCC during the pre-monsoon Aedes survey. These areas have been identified as more prone to higher reproduction of Aedes mosquitoes,” said Dr Daud Adnan.

“The survey also found a BI of over 10 in 19 wards in DNCC and 19 wards in DSCC,” he added.

The National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmitted Diseases Control Programme of the DGHS conducted the survey over ten days, with 21 teams of researchers participating in the study.

The survey, which continued from 17-26 April in 3,152 households in 99 wards in the capital, found 463 (14.68%) households containing positive containers of Ades mosquitoes.

“House index (HI) over 10 is considered as the dangerous presence of mosquitoes. As such, the presence of more than 14% is risky. It is worrying before the monsoon,” Daud Adnan said.

In the survey results, the DGHS also found that multi-storey buildings, independent houses and under-construction buildings account for over 84% of the city’s Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

According to the survey report, plastic drums contain the highest positivity (18%), followed by flooded floors (15%) and plastic buckets (14%). According to the type of households, multi-storeyed ones showed the highest positivity rate (38.8%) followed by independent households (23.0%) and under-construction households (18.7%).

The report recommended conducting crush programmes under the management of ward councillors in the wards having high BI (>20) and HI (>10) throughout the year.

While addressing the programme, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s personal physician Prof Dr ABM Abdullah said all have to work together to control dengue instead of the blame game among stakeholders. “If all stakeholders do not work together it is impossible to face the dengue situation,” he added.

DGHS official data shows the number of dengue cases and deaths have already crossed the previous year’s record of the same time as 2,795 patients have been admitted to hospitals and 35 deaths reported this year till 28 May. Six cases and one death were reported in the past 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

Though health authorities have conducted the pre-monsoon survey this year in the capital they are in the dark about the existence of Aedes mosquito in urban areas, particularly the divisional cities where the highest number of cases and deaths were reported in 2023.

The dengue disease was transmitted across the country last year when dengue patients were reported from all 64 districts.
“No survey was conducted outside the capital this year. We have a plan to survey other cities,” Dr MM Aktaruzzaman Sohel, assistant director of DGHS, told the Daily Sun.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Professor of the Zoology Department at Jahangirnagar University said feared that this year the dengue outbreak may be more than in previous times as this survey was conducted in April. “Mosquito density remains low during the dry season. If necessary measures are not taken to destroy mosquitoes, there will be more mosquitoes and more patients.”