Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said that although the dengue situation has worsened throughout the country, including Dhaka, the time has not yet come to declare a public health emergency.
He said that dengue has spread in 60 districts including Dhaka.
“But such a situation has not happened yet that we are not able to give beds to the patients in the hospital, we are not able to give medicines. The number of dengue patients is still under our control,” said the minister.
He said these things to the journalists after visiting Mugda Medical College Hospital in the capital on Saturday.
Zahid Maleque said that dengue infection has been increasing in the country for the past few days. Although the number of patients in Dhaka is stable, the number of patients outside Dhaka is increasing.
“Everyone should be aware of this so that with everyone's cooperation, we can quickly overcome this crisis,” said the minister.
He said it is not happening that dengue patients are not getting service by going to the hospital, so why should a health emergency be declared? “I think the time for a health emergency has not come yet.”
Addressing the two city corporations, the minister said that several areas have become dengue hotspots. He directed to control mosquitoes in these hotspots on an urgent basis. Otherwise the dengue situation will worsen. Hospitals are prepared, but emphasis should be placed on killing mosquitoes to deal with the situation.
