Eminent doctors yesterday called upon city dwellers to remain extra-cautious while celebrating Eid-ul-Azha outside Dhaka, as they feared that the disease may spread in rural areas during the upcoming vacation.

They suggested all holidaymakers from Dhaka as well as other cities -- particularly those who have contracted any kind of fever or cough -- to get tested for dengue immediately before leaving for their village homes.

Terming the current dengue outbreak “close to an epidemic situation”, they urged the government to strengthen its mosquito control programme and carry out the activities in rural areas before and during the Eid vacation, set to begin next week.

They made the suggestions at a press conference on dengue prevention, organised by Doctors for Health and Environment (DHEN), a voluntary organisation of doctors, at Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad auditorium in the capital.

Prof Quazi Rakibul Islam, general secretary of the organisation, said the Aedes mosquito-borne viral disease has already spread to all 64 districts -- mostly urban areas -- of the country.

“In the meantime, several lakh people will leave Dhaka to celebrate Eid and many of them may carry the virus. We suspect that the rural people will be at risk of getting infected,” he added.

Prof Rakibul, also the head of paediatrics department at Greenlife Medical College, said several anthropologists and doctors warned the government about the dengue outbreak much earlier and suggested to take steps, but the authorities did not pay any head.

“As a result, thousands of people are now infected with the disease. A number of them have died already. And the situation has gone out of control,” he said.

In a written statement, the doctor also demanded punishment for those responsible for the failure in mosquito control.

Echoing Rakibul, Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, former president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), said dengue fever has spread across the country due to negligence.

“All of us have to take responsibility… The government is playing a blame game, which is unexpected. Now, we need to solve two problems -- treat dengue patients and control the mosquitoes,” he added.

Prof Rashid also said the training which the government has provided to doctors is only Dhaka based. But now, the disease has spread across the country, so the authorities have to change their plans.

He demanded providing dengue diagnosis services free of cost at all hospitals in the country.

Asked whether the outbreak has turned into an epidemic, DHEN President Prof M Abu Sayeed said they do not want to create any panic among people by referring to the situation as “an epidemic”, as it will not help change the situation.

“Rather, we will address it as a major outbreak and close to an epidemic situation,” he added.

The doctor also urged the government to observe a day or a week every year for controlling dengue and mosquitoes.

Prof Muzaherul Huq, founding chairman of Public Health Foundation of Bangladesh; Mostak Hossain, former chief scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research; and Lenin Chowdhury, joint general secretary of Poba, also spoke.