Dengue situation alarming but under control: WHO

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Bangla Tribune Report
Published : 17:49, Jul 20, 2019 | Updated : 19:54, Jul 20, 2019

The dengue situation in Bangladesh is alarming but remains under control, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This was revealed after a five-member delegation led by its acting representative of in Bangladesh Dr Edwin Saniza Salvador met with Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon at his Banani residence in the capital on Saturday (Jul 20).
Briefing the media after the meeting, Dr Salvador said: "There are two ways to evaluate the situation -first, the number of dengue patients and second, the number of dengue suspects. The number of dengue patient is increasing along with the suspects. And, till now, the situation is deteriorating.

He said the condition would turn epidemic if such trend continued.

"We are working with the city corporation and the Health Ministry as they have their own strategies to deal with the situation. In this meeting, we talked to find out the gap of action and strategy."
Mayor Khokon also expressed his concern over the situation. "If we fail to become aware, the situation may turn complex."
"We do not expect the situation to get difficult. Do not be panicked. Be conscious, be careful and keep your homestead clean."
The mayor also said they would change the medicine to kill Aedes mosquito if required.
"We procure the medicine from a navy-owned organization. The WHO will test the effectiveness of the medicine as soon as possible and suggest us whether it has to be changed or not," he added.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, spreads among humans through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
From Jan 1 to Jul 18, as many as 5,546 people have been affected with Dengue virus while five of them died, data by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) shows.
However, unofficial records say the number of infected people is much higher with death toll reaching over 20.

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