Dengue threat impending in Dhaka amid Covid-19 pandemic
The density of Aedes larvae was the highest at ward number 11 of the Dhaka North City Corporation
A survey shows that 25 wards of the two Dhaka city corporations are at risk of a dengue outbreak amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Nine Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and 16 Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) wards are at risk of a dengue outbreak as the Breteau Index (BI) – a key to measure of Aedes larvae prevalence -- in the areas is beyond 20, according to the survey findings.
The survey was conducted under the health directorate's National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmitted Disease Control Programme.
The survey titled "Dissemination on Monsoon Aedes Survey-2020" was conducted from 19 to 28 July in the two city corporation areas, and the findings were revealed on Thursday in the capital.
The researchers took into account the Breteau Index (BI) to measure the prevalence of larvae. If the BI level goes beyond 20 percent, the presence of mosquito larvae gets to be risky for people.
The survey found higher BI in ward number 10, 11, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 29 and 32 in Dhaka North; and ward number 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 25, 34, 40, 41, 45 and 51 in Dhaka South.
Ward number 11 and 17 in Dhaka North and ward number 51 in Dhaka South face the highest risk. Among the DNCC wards, 29 wards scored more than 10 in the Breteau Index while in DSCC, the number of such wards is 38.
Only five wards under both city corporations were marked as low risk.
Dengue became a concern for Bangladesh last year as government statistics say more than one lakh people got hospitalised with dengue fever in that year. At least 179 people died of dengue in 2019.
However, the actual number of infections was a lot higher than that as the health directorate estimation did not cover all hospitals and people who got treated at home.
Last March Bangladesh reported its maiden coronavirus cases. The High Court also alerted the two Dhaka city corporations about the mosquito menace so that dengue cannot exacerbate the ongoing pandemic situation.