This year monsoon started early. Chikungunya's effect has been noticed since the birth of the Aedes mosquito because of this rainfall, since November last year. And during the monsoon, the incidence of dengue fever has become regular over the last few years. After observing the dengue patients, doctors said its symptoms pattern are changing.
According to them due to the changing of the biological character of the human being, dengue symptoms are changing also. For this reason, most of the times, patients fail to understand that they have been infected with dengue. Because of these, they neglect at the beginning and it becomes too late when they get treatment. Concerned people said, ‘There is no scope for neglect if there is a fever, and it is necessary to go to the doctor as soon as possible.
Faria Hassan, an employee of an advertising company, did not give attention when fever affected her. Two days later when fever increased she was admitted to a hospital. It was found that she was dengue-infected. But in the meantime, her platelets of blood were decreased a lot. On that very night after donating 4 begs blood the amount of platelet increased. She said to the Bangla Tribune, ‘In the first two days of fever I didn’t think it was dengue. Still, now I cannot work sitting for a long time; I feel very weak and don’t get the strength to work.’
Sarwar Ibne Alam, Modhumita Banerjee, Suporna Haldar and many others have the same experience. While talked with them at Dhaka Medical College and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College they said, they don’t have the symptoms of dengue which the doctors say. There was no rash or severe pain on the body. But after diagnosis, dengue was found.
According to the data of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), although there was no dengue in January 2007, in that month of this year 91 patients were infected by dengue. In July 2007, dengue fever was detected for the first time and the number of patients was 85. On the other hand in July of the current year, the number of dengue-infected patients was 234. In 2007, there were 466 cases of dengue patients, 153 in 2008, 474 in 2009, 409 in 2010, 359 in 2011, 671 in 2012, 1,749 in 2013, 375 in 2014, 3,162 in 2015, and 6,060 in 2016. And until August of this current year, the number is 915. This year 3 patients died of dengue.
ASM Alamgir, Senior Scientific Officer of IEDCR said this year the number of dengue patients will be less than the previous year. He also said to the Bangla Tribune, ‘Dengue and Chikungunya carriers by the same Aedes mosquito. But since this time, the task of destroying Aedes mosquito is going one due to chikungunya, so the number of Dengue sufferers is very low.’
Preventive Medicine Specialist Dr Lelin Chowdhury told the Bengali Tribune that the symptoms of dengue-infected people are changing. He said, ‘at the beginning of outburst of dengue fever, patients came with severe pain in their body, headache and feel pain around the eyes. But these symptoms are changing. Now we see patients come with fever and headaches without those symptoms.
He also said, ‘In the past patients had intolerable pain after dengue fever, now this symptom is also changing. Many dengue patients seem healthy at the beginning. But when the fever is over they feel sick- symptoms like these are found now.’
While asked to know about this type of change Dr Lelin Chowdhury said, ‘Dengue has been in the country for a long time. Resistance power against dengue has been created in the human body. As a result, though in early times people felt the attack very severely now it is not happening right now. But as a result of this, many people are not able to understand dengue because they do not feel the attack severely. They are not aware of whether it is dengue or not. But when they come to doctors after a long time and the breakdown of blood platelet starts. So it is necessary to go to the doctor at the beginning stage of the fever without neglecting it.’
Concerned people said, ‘to prevent dengue the inside and outside of the room, roof and surrounding area and the containers where water can be stagnated, should be kept clean. Community spaces of Government where water can be stagnated should be kept clean. Dr Lelin Chowdhury said, ‘With this combined initiative to clean the mosquito breeding sites, dengue can be prevented.’
Professor ABM Abdullah, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, told the Bangla Tribune, ‘this year dengue incidence is less because special initiatives were taken to destroy Aedes mosquito because of Chikungunya. But when we find dengue patients we see that dengue symptoms are changing. There is no rash or severe pain in the patient’s body-as the biological character of the human being is changing, the pattern of symptoms is also changing.’
He also said, ‘though the symptoms are changing everybody should be careful. If you have a fever, you should go to the doctor and take action accordingly.’
