Health Ministry on alert to curb dengue outbreak during Eid

The Health Ministry has taken special cautionary measures to counter the dengue outbreak during the Eid holidays. In addition to cancelling the concerned officials’ holidays, the Health Ministry is emphasising a training on Dengue Management Guidelines. 

According to Health Ministry sources, the Health Ministry issued a notice ordering all officials of Health Service Division and offices and agencies under it to not leave their posts and not to leave Dhaka till August 17. 

The notice signed by Shahina Khatun, Health Service Division administration-1, directed the Health and Family Welfare Division to supervise Dengue-related monitoring team continuously.

According to Health Division Emergency Operations Centre and Control room’s information on Thursday, 2,176 people contracted dengue within the last 24 hours.

Among them, 1,065 patients were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka and 1,111 people were admitted to hospitals in other divisions.

As the Eid holidays begin, the number of dengue patients admitted to hospitals in Dhaka is decreasing, while it is increasing in hospitals around the country.

On Friday, 987 people suffering from dengue were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and 1,055 were admitted to hospitals in Divisional sadar areas. 

Earlier, on Thursday, 1,159 were admitted to hospitals in the capital, while 1,167 were admitted to hospitals around the country.

To overcome the threat of dengue during the Eid vacation, insecticides are being sprayed on buses, trains, and launches. 

The hospitals outside Dhaka have completed their preparations to ensure the treatment of dengue patients. Necessary medical kits to identify dengue fever have already been sent to district sadar hospitals and upazila health complexes.

Health Division sources said it has sent a guideline to the district hospitals, medical college hospitals and other hospitals to curb dengue outbreak during the Eid holidays.

It also asked the local authority to buy a particular insecticide or RDT for dengue by using the fund allotted to the Health Division. 

Director General of Health Services Dr Abul Kalam Azad ordered the officials concerned to take assistance from Drug Administration in emergency situations.

Dr. Sanya Tahmina, director of disease control at the Directorate General of Health Services said government hospitals in the districts can buy necessary kits with the allotted funds. Later they can test patients for free, if it becomes necessary after examining the symptoms of the patients. 

Besides, non-government hospitals will carry out dengue tests for a set fee. The government hospitals are also prepared to receive patients who contract dengue during the Eid holidays outside Dhaka. 

Under Health Division’s initiatives and with assistance from Bangladesh Medicine Society, a video conference over Dengue Management Guideline was held. Civil surgeons in 64 districts, concerned RMOs, and medicine and child specialists participated in it. 

In addition to that, as a precautionary measure, NS1 kits were supplied to 64 hospitals in district sadar areas. 

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has also involved 16 lakh scouts through e-commerce platforms.