Dengue spreading rapidly

According to the Directorate General Health Services (DGHS), Dhaka is under the threat of dengue fever, a potentially deadly fever. This season has seen 1,340 people fall sick of the fever with around 99 people admitted to various hospitals and four dying of the disease. What is alarming is that International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) data points to a scenario where this season has witnessed the worst attack of dengue in the last five years. The dengue fever persists from June to October and patients suffer from both fever and severe bodily pain and headache, and contrary to popular opinion, the death toll is less than 1 percent.

However, two variants of dengue, i.e. dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome can be fatal and it is necessary to make people aware of what to look for when a loved one falls sick. In the case of the former, there will be bleeding of gums or through the nose. Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome will be evident in sharp fall in water content in the body as a result of excessive bleeding, which will ultimately lead to a severe drop in blood pressure. Another fact that is little known is that patients who have suffered dengue once can suffer from it again. Hence it is imperative that health and city officials come together to formulate and disseminate an essential information package that could save lives and a lot of pain for city residents. Along with this, eradicating dengue mosquito infestations must be an ongoing drive by the municipal authorities.