Asraful Islam Asraf
The number of dengue cases is expected to decline within a month, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Monday. “Many people had left Dhaka for a long time due to restrictions for Covid-19 and Eid vacation and during this period Aedes mosquitoes breed in stagnant water in the houses and under-construction buildings, leading to dengue outbreak . But the situation will improve within one month,” he said.

The minister was speaking at ‘BSRF Dialogue’ organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the secretariat. Replying to a question, Tajul said, “This year, dengue cases marked a sharp rise comparing to the previous two years and the main reason behind it is Covid restrictions and Eid holidays,”

There was no planed initiative in controlling mosquitoes in 2019 and the country witnessed 1405 dengue cases as some steps were taken in 2020, said the minister adding “We witnessed rise in deaths and cases in 2021. The main reason behind the outbreak is climate change.”
Citing the dengue outbreak in different countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines, the minister said Bangladesh’s dengue situation is better than those countries.

“Many children died of dengue and many people lost their relatives this year. We don’t want to lose anyone and we’ll take steps from this years’ experience.