Dipan Nandy

Deaths confirmed to have been caused by dengue this year have crossed the 1,000 mark as the health directorate yesterday reported 17 fatalities.

The dengue death toll has been record-breaking with each passing month since May this year.

A staggering 65 percent of the deaths from dengue this year were in Dhaka district, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The dengue situation in Narayanganj, Gazipur and Manikganj has been deteriorating in the absence of adequate measures taken by the authorities concerned.

Though the Directorate General of Health Services recently requested health officials outside the capital not to refer patients to Dhaka, the number of patients from outside still remains high.

As many as 89 dengue patients died last week alone. Meanwhile, at least 20,155 dengue cases were reported during this time. Of this, 14,436 patients are from outside Dhaka, while the rest 5,719 patients are from the capital.

With four new dengue related deaths in the last 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday, the number of fatalities this year stands at 879, surpassing the cumulative dengue-related fatalities recorded over the past 22 years, since the disease’s outbreak in the country in 2000.

Dhaka continues to grapple with waterlogging during the monsoon as different measures taken by the two city corporations have failed to make any substantive contribution to improve the city’s drainage system.

Thursday night’s incessant downpour has exposed the capital’s poor drainage system as different neighbourhoods remained waterlogged until last night.

Last week, two sisters -- Afia Anjum and Tasnia Tasnim -- were pedalling their bicycle through streets; their youthful spirits undeterred by a slight fever that failed to keep them grounded.

Dhaka North City Corporation on July 12  transformed the Covid-19 dedicated 500-bed Mohakhali Hospital into a specialised facility exclusively for treating dengue cases, as the country has been grappling with  the most severe outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in its history.

After another fire tragedy, experts question govt bodies’ role, fear more may follow

E-ticketing for all buses in Dhaka was launched last year, first on Mirpur route and then on other routes for over 3,000 buses, aiming to bring discipline in the capital’s public transport sector and reduce conflicts between passengers and bus helpers over additional fares.

In 400-year-old Dhaka, a few educational institutes have stood the test of time. These century-old schools have played a significant role in shaping the education and culture of the city and beyond and have produced notable individuals who have left their mark on the national and world stages.

Crumbling ceilings, damp walls, thick dust on the floor, and a deafening silence -- this is what visitors are welcomed with when they first step into the iconic Northbrook Hall, popularly known as Lalkuthi.

Hardware shops, shoemakers sell them the adhesive glue, claim street children

2019 was a watershed for dengue, with the highest number of cases ever reported globally. For Bangladesh too, it was a loud wake-up call, with record caseload and deaths. But the government continued with its slumber.

The Dhaka North City Corporation plans to reimport Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) to combat the dengue situation, but this time from sources mentioned in the agreement with Marshal Agrovet.

Following two tests, Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) pesticide, imported from China by Dhaka North City Corporation’s blacklisted company Marshal Agrovet, has proved to be effective.

Dhaka North City Corporation has blacklisted Marshal Agrovet Chemical Industries Ltd over anomalies in importing BTI pesticide used in anti-mosquito drive.