Dengue surge overwhelms CMCH

Dengue cases in Chattogram are rising sharply, with 1,288 cases recorded in the first 14 days of October as patients face a shortage of beds at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

The district recorded 98 new cases and two deaths in the 24 hours until 9:00pm on Wednesday, according to health officials.

During a visit to CMCH on Wednesday, this correspondent found its 50-bed dengue ward overcrowded, with 91 patients -- 52 men and 39 women -- admitted. All beds were occupied and some patients had to receive treatment on the floor.

Sirajul Mostafa Suman, 30, from Karnaphuli upazila, said he had been suffering from fever since October 10 and was advised to get admitted after testing positive for dengue. However, he had to stay on the floor as no beds were available.

As of Wednesday, the district’s dengue caseload reached 5,754, with 28 deaths recorded this year, according to the civil surgeon’s office. Five deaths have been reported so far in October.

The 1,288 cases recorded so far in this month are already more than half the 2,430 cases reported in September, when 16 people died. The district recorded 1,202 cases in August and 536 in July.

Dr Abdullah Abu Sayeed, associate professor of medicine at CMCH, said hospitals are receiving more patients from rural upazilas and the hill districts.

Health officials said intermittent rainfall leaves stagnant water in flowerpots, discarded tyres and open containers, creating breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

Civil Surgeon Dr Sajedur Rahman said authorities are distributing awareness leaflets based on mosquito-density surveys conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services in June this year.

Captain Ikhtiyar Uddin Ahmed, chief conservancy officer of Chittagong City Corporation, said daily drives are being conducted across wards to destroy mosquito larvae. He urged residents to remove stagnant water around their homes.