Ready to check any possible dengue outbreak: Minister Tajul

Mobile court drives will be conducted in the two city corporations of capital Dhaka soon in an effort to control any possible dengue outbreak, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam.

"A meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday to take necessary steps in this regard. After repeated attempts to raise awareness among people over any dengue outbreak, people do not take it seriously. That's why mobile court drives will be conducted to control the spread of dengue," he said.

"Legal action will be taken against those if anyone is found responsible for breeding Aedes mosquitoes and breaching government directives through fine and other punishment, no matter whether the establishments are owned by the government or not. You've no right to harm the lives and property of people," Tajul warned.

"We should be aware of stagnant water as it is the breeding place of the Aedes mosquito. It's possible to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes by using kerosene," the minister suggested.

Tajul went on saying, "After learning lessons from the bitter experience of the 2019 dengue outbreak, we've taken effective measures in 2020, and we hadbeen able to control the outbreak of dengue. Besides, the ministry will appoint adequate manpower, including pesticides, fogging machines and magistrates to operate the mobile courts this time."

"If we work in a coordinated way, it can be possible to control Aedes mosquitoes, and the mayors of the two city corporations are working with sincerity. We need the awareness of people to make the plan a success. Or else, it's not possible to control mosquitoes through drives," he added.

Mobile court drives will be conducted within two or one days for controlling any possible dengue menace in the two city corporations. Ten magistrates have been appointed for conducting mobile court drives, said the minister.

"The number of dengue patients is increasing day by day in the two city corporations alongside the death rate. Panic has gripped the city dwellers over dengue," he said.

According to sources at the two city corporations, 536 people have been found infected with dengue till July 7 and the number of cases in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is higher than that of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

Talking to DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, he said, "A ten-day anti-mosquito drive was conducted from June 1 to June 12 this year. The drive to take legal action against any establishment will continue."

"Everyone should be aware of controlling dengue, aedes mosquito and Chikungunya. People should check for stagnant water on the rooftops of buildings, flower vases and other abandoned places. We should keep our houses and other places clean to ensure stop breeding of Aedes mosquitoes," Atiqul added.

He also urged people to clear stagnant water within three days.

Meanwhile, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, said, "Mobile court drives are being conducted to kill mosquitoes and the activities will be brought under a dynamic system as we've seen a surge in dengue cases in the city. We'll strengthen monitoring in wards. We've asked the city councillors to talk to the owners and owners' associations of flats and apartments and the general secretaries of the associations to allow workers so that they can spread medicines."

Taposh added: "Sometimes we noticed stagnant water in the middle of two buildings and different abandoned things. We should clean up those for destroying aedes larvae."

Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Brig Gen Zobaidur Rahman said, "Our drive will continue and we've the data of those house owners where we've got Aedes larvae and now we've alerted them after sending SMS to them."

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh reported 48 dengue cases in 24 hours until Saturday morning.

Some 179 patients diagnosed with dengue are currently receiving treatment at different government and private hospitals across the country till then.

The recent spike in dengue cases has compounded worries among people as the country continues to grapple with the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.