Dengue Patients Crowd Hospitals and Clinics

Kaliakair Municipality, an industrial town in Gazipur, is facing a severe mosquito problem. The mosquito menace has worsened due to garbage, water hyacinths and stagnant water. Drains, canals, ponds and ditches across all nine wards of the municipality are filled with water hyacinths and waste. Millions of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes are breeding in the stagnant water.

A visit to the area found that irregular waste collection and blocked water flow in open drains have created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Rotten waste and unhygienic conditions around Chandra, Mouchak, Safipur, Kaliakair Bazar, Hartakitola and other areas are contributing to the spread of mosquitoes. Over the past week, the Kaliakair Upazila Health Complex and several private clinics have seen a surge in dengue patients. On average, 10 to 15 patients with dengue symptoms are being admitted to hospitals every day.

Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Chandara Uttarpara, said, “The mosquito attack becomes severe as soon as evening falls. There is no electricity, and we cannot sleep with our children because of mosquito bites. These mosquitoes are breeding in garbage and water hyacinths. The municipality is asleep, and there is no one to look after us.”

Shahnaz Begum, a resident of the Kaliakair Bazar area, said, “My two children have been infected with dengue and admitted to hospital. The drains are filled with water hyacinths and dirty water. If mosquito-control spraying is not carried out quickly, we will die.”

Jahangir Alam, a garment worker from Safipur, said, “After working all day at the factory, I cannot sleep at night because of the mosquitoes. Even burning mosquito coils does not help. The mosquitoes bite even more during load-shedding. We are poor people. Where will we get the money for treatment if we get dengue?” Kaliakair Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Sadia Tasnim Munmun said the dengue situation in Kaliakair had become severe.

“The hospital is overcrowded with patients. In September alone, 98 dengue patients were admitted. Aedes mosquitoes are breeding in garbage and water hyacinths. Dengue cannot be controlled through treatment alone. The municipality must immediately launch a three-day crash programme to control mosquitoes and remove water hyacinths from every ward.

People must also be made aware of preventing water from collecting in flower pots, coconut shells and abandoned tyres around their homes. We have introduced special beds for dengue patients at the Upazila Health Complex. No dengue patient will be left unattended. However, if the municipality does not control the mosquitoes, the situation will become even more serious.”

Kaliakair Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) A H M Fakhrul Hossain said drains and canals in all nine wards of Kaliakair Municipality had become filled with garbage and water hyacinths, preventing proper drainage. “Those responsible for creating this unhygienic environment will not be spared. I have instructed the municipality authorities to carry out mosquito control using insecticide spraying and fogging machines in every ward and to remove garbage and water hyacinths from the drains,” he said.