Shawdesh Desk:

Dengue claimed at least two more lives on Wednesday night as the menace was getting worse every day.

At least 1,712 new dengue patients were hospitalised in the 24 hours ending 8:00am Thursday with 1,147 cases in the capital and 562 in the districts.

On Thursday, 5,838 dengue patients were under treatment in different hospitals, with 4,332 in the capital and 1,506 in districts.

So far, at least 19,513 people with dengue infection were hospitalised and 14 of them died, according to government data, while unofficial reports say the death toll has hit at least 56.

The government says that among the 14 deaths it confirmed, 13 were from private hospitals and one from the autonomous Dhaka Shishu Hospital, though Dhaka Medical College Hospital officials said that at least 10 patients died of dengue in July at the hospital.

In the capital, at least 706 dengue patients were under treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, 337 at Mitford Hospital, 322 at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, 305 at Kurmitola General Hospital, 287 at Mugda Medical College Hospital, 197 at Holy Family Medical College Hospital, 165 at Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital, 137 at Dhaka Shishu Hospital and 127 at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital.

The dengue cases outside the capital under treatment on Thursday were 283 in Khulna division, 276 in Dhaka division (excluding the capital), 214 in Rajshahi division, 194 in Mymensingh division, 153 in Chattogram division, 151 in Barishal division, 146 in  Rangpur division and 89 in Sylhet division.

Madaripur civil surgeon Shafiqul Islam said that a patient from the district’s Shibchar died of dengue in Dhaka on Wednesday night.

He said that so far 34 people were hospitalised with dengue in his district.

United News of Bangladesh reported that a minor boy named Sohrab, 10, from Keraniganj, suffering from dengue died at Mitford Hospital on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, health minister Zahid Maleque, who came back to Dhaka from Malaysia early Thursday amid widespread criticism for having a personal foreign trip during such a situation, avoided journalists in a prescheduled meeting with them on the day.

His office on Wednesday had invited journalists for a press conference at his office at 2:00pm on Thursday but it was cancelled shortly before the scheduled time.

In a meeting at his office with the two mayors of Dhaka and other senior doctors and Awami League leaders, which he was heading, some journalists attempted to meet him, but health secretary Asadul Islam tried to obstruct them.

Later, though Zahid allowed the journalists in the meeting room for a while but he did not answer their questions.

He said in the meeting that he and prime minister Sheikh Hasina, now in London, were closely monitoring the situation and the situation would improve soon.

The minister also avoided journalists while he was on a visit to Mitford Hospital in the morning. He was there to inaugurate a 100-bed dengue ward.

After the meeting with health minister at the secretariat, Dhaka south city mayor Sayeed Khokon requested the people to pray so that the dengue situation came under control.

He said that all the authorities concerned were trying their best to control the menace, adding that he expected dengue to be eliminated by the first week of September.

He also said, ‘We have already freed a number of wards of the Dhaka south city from the disease. The wards are: 14, 15, 18, 22, 23, 29, 35, 42, 55, 56.’

Dhaka north city mayor Atiqul Islam, who was also present in the meeting, said, ‘We have to work round the year to destroy the sources of aedes mosquitoes.’

He said that he did not lack in commitment to controlling the mosquitos but in experience.