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Dengue takes serious turn

Experts see ominous sign while govt continues to downplay

By Staff Correspondent
Prevalence of dengue fever in the city has assumed alarming proportions, a fact the government is yet to acknowledge.
According to ProL Md. Nazrul Islam, Head of Virology Department of Banghabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMUH), dengue Is not only spreading at an alarming rate, rather it is now an epidemic.
"Tests conducted here at the hospital Indicate that 80 per cent of the cases have dengue infection. We carried out 40 tests since July 13 and found that 32 of them have dengue infection." Prof. Islam said.
Sources In Lab Aid. a private diagnostic centre, sounded similar warnings. They said about 60 per cent of the samples were positive.
Dr. Abu Mohammed Shamim. Managing Director of Lab Aid said. "We tested blood samples of 193 suspected dengue patients In last ten days. Of them. 21 were found to have Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever or DHF (that causes bleeding and in most cases is fatal) while 79 had dengue virus, although at primary stage of infection." The rest tested negative.
Dr Samir K Saha. head of the
microbiology department at Popular Diagnostic Centre, told the Dally Star last nlglit that they tested 259 people In ten days and found 75 cases positive.
Said Dr. Saha: "The alarming thing about the tests was that about one-third of the cases had platelet count less than 45.000. which means a large number of them had DHF."
Reports from Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka Shlshu Hospital, Mitford Hospital and BIRDEM as well as leading city clinics have it that dengue Infection is spreading across the city at an alarming rate. Ten people have already died from Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever In the capital.
Prof Islam of BSMMUH explained. "We know that the mosquito that carries and
transmits dengue virus exits in plenty In the city. In fact, the city dwellers have had the experience of dengue infection in the early sixties.
"But what worries us most is that if you are Infected with type one dengue virus and infected second time with type two then you are likely to suffer DHF and may die."
"I ve observed that there is a lot of DHF cases Haemorrhagic fever was very rare even last year when we had dengue scare around this time but the rate is quite high this time around and 1 suspect the figure would rise even higher."
A WHO report said South-East Asia and western Pacific regions are the areas where dengue has taken the most serious turn. Before 1970. only nine countries had experienced DHF epidemics, a number that had increased fourfold by 1995. Some 2500 million people worldwide are at risk of catching Dengue fever.
Dengue viruses are transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female mosquito species of Aedes Eegypti. Mosquitoes generally acquire the virus while feeding on the blood of an Inirc ird person. Once Infective, a mosquito is capable of transmitting the virus to multiple Individuals tor the rest of Its life
Following newspaper re-ports people who feeling feverish are seeking medical treatment at various city clinics City clinics In Farmgate. Green Road and Dhanmandl are reported to have admitted 84 patients In Iasi two days with suspected dengue fever.