Staff Correspondent

The health ministry has ordered all hospitals in the country to be ready before a potential outbreak of dengue and chikungunya this year.

Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen gave this instruction at an inter-ministerial meeting at the health ministry office at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Representatives from the two Dhaka city corporations and other stakeholders were present at the meeting.

After the meeting, Minister Dr Samanta Lal told reporters, “If preventive measures are not taken properly, we will not be able to contain the pressure of dengue patients. We will do whatever required for the better treatment.”

“Besides, we will take measures to make people aware of dengue, and make it clear to them how dengue occurs and spreads,” he added.

Samanta Lal said, “Hospitals have been instructed to be ready to tackle any possible dengue outbreak. At the same time, we are asking the people to go to hospitals immediately if they feel fever. We see many times that patients come to hospitals quite late…then nothing can be done.”

Speaking at the meeting, Director General of DGHS Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam said that a total of 1,566 people got infected with dengue from 1 January to 18 March this year. Of them, 527 were infected in Dhaka city, while 1,039 outside Dhaka.

At least 20 people died of dengue during this time, Dr Khurshid Alam said.

At the meeting, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam said last year they had imported five tonnes of Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) through contractor at a cost of Tk87 lakh to control dengue, but it could not be used due to a court direction.

“This year, we ourselves are going to import BTI. Experts are giving opinion about the adoption of organic and biological treatment. BTI is the best choice among the biological treatments to control mosquitos. We have already worked on it,” Atiqul stated.