Dhaka South Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon has said conspirators are spreading rumours about dengue, just the way kidnapping rumours ran rife across the country.
The government will tackle the dengue surge strongly the way it is doing in its effort to dispel the rumours about kidnapping, he said while opening a drive to curb the mosquito menace in Dhaka on Thursday.
A report prepared by the Director General of Health Service (DGHS) showed 8,565 people have been infected with dengue so far this year, and 6,421 of them were admitted to hospitals across the country in July.
The number of people diagnosed with dengue exceeded 350,000, the Prothom Alo reported two days back citing the data of the DGHS and the World Health Organisation.
Refuting the report, the mayor told media: “It’s not desirable to politicise the mosquito issue. The report is imaginary and misleading. "
“The government along with the people is firmly committed to face the conspirators. ”
In 24 hours until Wednesday, 560 new dengue cases were reported from hospitals, according to the Director General of Health Service (DGHS). Of them, 559 were admitted to Dhaka hospitals, bdnews24.com reports.
Dengue outbreaks have increased in Dhaka since the beginning of last month. At least 20 people have already died from the mosquito-borne disease. But the official records put the casualties only at eight.
Amid the circumstances, the Prime Minister’s Office asked the authorities of the two Dhaka city corporations to strengthen their anti-mosquito drives to check dengue.