Dhaka-dwellers join in the fight
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Hossain Zillur Rahman, one of the initiators of an anti-mosquito drive in Dhanmondi.
“The government and city corporations are working but you have to turn your awareness into activity to tackle dengue,” added Zillur, Brac chairperson and a public health activist.
He and others formed an organisation named “Parichhannata 28” that comprises house owners living on the old road no. 28 of Dhanmondi.
Several locals of the area said that they sprayed mosquito repellents using fog machines and cleaned their localities on August 2. They have been regularly doing so since then.
They also put up signboards in front of under-construction buildings terming them as potential danger zones for dengue, and urged the authorities to take the necessary steps to prevent the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.
“We will all meet in a day or two to finalise the detailed action plan to prevent mosquitoes in our localities. I will urge residents of other roads to take steps as well in this regard,” Zillur said.
He said another reason of their coming forward to prevent mosquito was the city corporation’s irregularity in conducting anti-mosquito drives.
Several teams of volunteers from a social organisation named Bidyananda Foundation have sprayed mosquito repellents using fog machines in Pallabi and Arambagh areas of Mirpur, and adjacent areas of airport railway stations of Uttara area in this month.
Salman Khan Yeasmin, manager of the foundation’s Dhaka branch, said they took the initiative as part of their responsibilities towards the society.
He said they are holding the drives targeting slum areas.
“We will continue our efforts,” he added.
Churihatta Ekota Shangha, another organisation, has conducted anti-mosquito drives in Chawkbazar, Churihatta and Rahmatganj areas of old Dhaka from August 3 to August 10, said president of the organisation Ashraf Uddin Shadhin.
Ranjana Rani Roy, leader of the Scout unit of Udayan Higher Secondary School, said they have been conducting awareness programmes since before Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated on June 6, to conduct cleaning drives in Dhaka University and adjoining areas.
She said they are also doing a door-to-door awareness campaign to make people aware about Aedes mosquito and dengue.
Mohammad Mominul Haque, youth chief of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society’s Dhaka unit, said 80 members of their unit have been working at the grassroots level from 10 days before Eid-ul-Azha celebrated on August 12.
“We have already visited 80 schools, many houses and mosques in 20 wards of Dhaka South City Corporation to raise awareness about Aedes mosquitoes,” he said, adding that they will continue this work for another month.
Around 170 members of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society have been working in Dhaka to build social awareness on the issue, he said.
Meanwhile, Kazi Wazed Ali, officer-in charge of Sutrapur Police Station, said they have cleaned the police station and its premises under the initiative of Dhaka Metropolitan police yesterday.
“We also cleaned and destroyed Aedes breeding sources at the station and its adjoining areas several times before Eid-ul-Azha,” he said.
City Development Journalists’ Forum Bangladesh along with Dhaka South City Corporation held a cleanliness programme to destroy possible sources Aedes larvae at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday.
Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam both welcomed the community’s initiatives to prevent dengue.
Sayeed Khokon said, “It is difficult for the city corporations alone to kill Aedes mosquitoes as it breeds on clean, stagnant water that can be found anywhere. Everyone should come forward to curb the spread of dengue fever.”
TWO MORE DIE
Saheb Ali, 45, of Rajbari died while being treated for dengue fever in Faridpur Medical College Hospital around 9:10pm on Monday.
Kamoda Prosad Saha, superintendent of Faridpur Medical College Hospital said, “Saheb Ali was admitted to the hospital around 12:00pm on Monday with dengue fever.”
In Barisal, a school teacher in Barguna’s Amtali upazila, died yesterday after being diagnosed with dengue at Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
She was initially admitted to Patuakhali General Hospital on August 17 and then transferred to Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital where she died around 12:30am, Dr Shankar Prasad Adhikari, Amtali upazila’s health officer.
A record 56,379 people have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease so far this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Of them 6,470 are currently under treatment in hospitals across the country.
A total of 1,572 new patients -- 750 in Dhaka and the rest outside -- were admitted to different hospitals in 24 hours until 8:00am yesterday, according to the DGHS.