Dengue Still Under Control: Health Minister

Even though the dengue situation has gotten worse across the nation, especially in Dhaka, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque stated on Saturday that the moment has not yet come to declare a public health emergency.

He said that Dhaka and 60 other areas had been affected by dengue.

“But such a situation has not happened yet that we are not able to give beds to the patients in the hospital, we are not able to give medicines. The number of dengue patients is still under our control,” said the minister.

Following a Saturday visit to the capital's Mugda Medical College Hospital, he made these remarks to the media.

According to Zahid Maleque, dengue illness has been rising throughout the nation over the previous several days. While the number of patients in Dhaka is steady, it is growing outside of the city. 

“Everyone should be aware of this so that with everyone's cooperation, we can quickly overcome this crisis,” said the minister.

He said it is not happening that dengue patients are not getting service by going to the hospital, so why should a health emergency be declared? “I think the time for a health emergency has not come yet.”

The minister informed the two municipal corporations that a number of locations had developed into dengue hotspots. He gave an immediate order to eradicate mosquitoes in these locations. The dengue issue will get worse if this happens. Although hospitals are ready, the focus should be on eliminating mosquitoes to cope with the crisis.