Dengue continues to spread with another 1,649 hospitalised in 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday.

Three dengue patients, including an 11-year-old boy, died in Dhaka, Madaripur and Barishal in the last two days.

Meanwhile, fresh data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) show that 22,919 people were admitted to hospitals with dengue and 16,047 of them were released between January 1 and yesterday.

Eight of the patients died during the same period, according to the data. Sources at different hospitals, however, put the death toll at 52.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) cancelled all leaves of the staff of city corporations and municipalities across the country, in its efforts to fight dengue, says a notice from the ministry.

Leaves of the staff of the Local Government Division have also been cancelled on the same ground, according to another ministry notice.

The order will remain in force until further notice, the notices added, asking all those already on leave to join work within 24 hours.

The notices also said the local government authorities, city corporations and different ministries took up various programmes to destroy larvae of Aedes mosquitoes which spread dengue.

The leaves have been cancelled so that the programmes are executed properly.

THE TWO DECEASED

A housewife died early yesterday after suffering from dengue in Uttar Krishnanagar village of Madaripur’s Kalkini upazila.

Nadia Aktar, 40, was declared dead at Madaripur General Hospital around 12:30am, our Faridpur correspondent reported, quoting her husband Alamgir Moral and doctors there.

Alamgir said Nadia was first admitted to Kalkini Upazila Health Complex after she had been suffering from fever for a few days. She was diagnosed with dengue on July 30.

Later, her condition worsened and she was referred to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal on August 2.

“As we did not get any bed at the hospital, we came back to Kalkini Upazila Health Complex. She was then again shifted to Madaripur General Hospital where doctors declared her dead,” said Alamgir.

Madaripur Civil Surgeon Shafiqul Islam said Nadia had died before she was brought to the hospital.

In another incident, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy died while being treated for dengue at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal yesterday evening.

The deceased was identified as Tawhid, son of Ishaq Ali of Lakurtala village in Barguna Sadar upazila, reported our Patuakhali correspondent.

Tawhid was first admitted to Barguna General Hospital on July 30 with dengue fever. As his condition deteriorated, he was referred to the hospital in Barishal where he died, said Barguna’s Civil Surgeon Dr Humayun Sahin Khan.

In Dhaka, 11-year-old Raiyan Sarker died of dengue at a private hospital near Panthapath on Friday, said his father Momin Sarkar. The boy was admitted to the hospital on July 31 in a critical condition, he added.

TWO HOSPITALS FINED

Meanwhile, two private hospitals in the capital were fined yesterday for charging extra for tests to diagnose dengue, UNB reported.

The National Health Care Network, and Alok Health Care were fined Tk 50,000 each by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP).

A team led by DNCRP assistant directors Afroza Rahman and Abdul Jabbar imposed and realised the fines, said a press release.

The DGHS fixed dengue test fees on July 28 after the High Court expressed concern over charging extra for the tests.

DGHS fixed Tk 500 for dengue test, while that for Complete Blood Count test which includes RBC, WBC, Platelet, Hematocrit was fixed at Tk 400 and IgM+IgG or IgM+IgE tests at Tk 500.

The drive will continue to protect consumer rights, the DNCRP said.

DMP CLEANLINESS PROGRAMME

Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday launched a cleanliness campaign in the offices of its all units and adjacent areas in Dhaka to check dengue outbreak.

The three-hour-long campaign ended around 10:00am, a DMP press release said.

All offices of deputy commissioners (DCs) of police, police stations, police camps, control rooms, messes and dining places for the policemen under the DMP were cleaned during the campaign, said a press release.

The members of all units of DMP, including its high officials, took part in the campaign, it added.