Aedes hotspots in city identified

The health directorate has identified 19 areas in the capital as extremely vulnerable to dengue due to widespread presence of Aedes mosquito, the carrier of the virus.

Of the areas, 10 are in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and nine in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) located those, conducting a survey from July 29 to August 7 in 100 areas of 98 wards of the two city corporations. The DGHS teams visited around 3,000 houses in the areas.

The findings of the survey were made public at a virtual press conference yesterday.

Basabo and Goran are at the top of the list of risky areas in the DSCC with 73.3 points on the Breteau Index, followed by Elephant Road and Science Laboratory areas with 66.7 points; RK Mission Road and Tikatuli with 50 points; and Banasree, Mintoo Road and Baily Road areas with 40 points.

In the DNCC, Moghbazar and New Eskaton are the riskiest areas with 56.7 points, followed by Bashundhara Residential Area, Nikunja, Kalyanpur, Darussalam, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Mohakhali and Niketan with 40 points.

Aftabnagar and Merul Badda in the DNCC and Bongshal in the DSCC were found to be the safest areas in the city with 0 point on the index.

Besides, 26 areas in the DNCC and 30 areas in the DSCC got 20 points on the index, meaning those are at risk of spread of dengue. 

The Breteau Index reflects the number of containers with Aedes larvae per 100 houses inspected.

Entomologist Prof Kabirul Bashar of Jahangirnagar University, who was involved in the survey, said that if the score of an area on the Breteau Index is 20 or above, it means the area is at risk of spread of dengue.

In the city areas, the highest 18.5 percent of Aedes larvae was found on flooded floors, 12.1 percent in plastic drums, 9.4 percent in plastic buckets, 7.5 percent in flower tubs, 6.9 percent in discarded tyres and 3.2 percent in pots.

Among the houses with Aedes larvae, the highest 44.2 percent was found in multi-storey buildings, 24.5 percent in individually-owned buildings, 19.1 percent in under-construction buildings, 9.7 percent in slum areas and 2.6 percent in abandoned plots.

Dr Afsana Alamgir Khan, deputy programme manager of the National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmission Disease Control Programme, presented the survey report.

According to the report, most of the wards in the two city corporations are at risk of dengue due to prevalence of Aedes mosquito.

Afsana said they could not carry out similar surveys outside the capital due to the Covid pandemic and would take initiative in this regard once the situation improves.

In reply to a query, she said they have already given instructions to all government hospitals to conduct dengue tests free of cost.

Representatives of both the city corporations at the conference said they have taken various initiatives to destroy the breeding sources of Aedes and that they will take further measures after going through the findings of the survey.

Meanwhile, another dengue patient died yesterday, raising the total to 36 in the country since the first death from the virus this year was recorded early last month, according to the DGHS.

Twelve people died last month and 24 in the last 22 days.

At least 291 dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday. Of them, only 32 are from outside Dhaka, according to the DGHS.

At least 8,041 people were diagnosed with dengue since January, and of them 5,383 got infected in the last 22 days.

The DGHS data shows 1,218 patients are undergoing treatment at hospitals in the capital and 87 outside it.