Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has expressed concern that dengue infections could rise further across Bangladesh during July and August, but said the government has taken the necessary measures to tackle the situation.
Speaking to journalists at an event held at Dhaka Medical College on Thursday (2 July), the minister said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) were fully prepared to respond to any increase in Dengue cases.
He said NS1 testing kits for the early detection of dengue had been supplied to police station, upazila and district-level health facilities. Hospitals in Dhaka and other major cities have also been kept ready, and will be fully activated as required if the number of patients increases.
The minister said the government remained vigilant and had put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure uninterrupted treatment services for dengue patients.
Emphasising the importance of public awareness in preventing the spread of the disease, he said local government representatives, community organisations and mosque imams have been encouraged to motivate people to keep their surroundings clean.
He also urged the public to remove stagnant water from homes and nearby areas and to eliminate Aedes mosquito breeding sites to help curb the spread of dengue.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
