Health minister advises mosquito nets, full-sleeved clothes to combat dengue

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain today (15 July) advised people across the country to sleep under mosquito nets and wear full-sleeved shirts and long pyjamas or lungis to protect themselves from dengue.

"The government has taken preparations to tackle the situation, including free NS1 tests at public hospitals, reduced fees for IgG and IgM tests, and adequate stocks of test kits and saline," he told Parliament while responding to an urgent public-interest notice submitted under Rule 71 by Chapainawabganj-3 lawmaker Nurul Islam Bulbul.

Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal chaired the sitting.

Sakhawat said the government had been closely monitoring the dengue situation since taking office and had stepped up cleanliness drives.

"Mosquito-control spraying is being carried out regularly, while tablets are being used to destroy larvae," he said.

Public awareness campaigns are also encouraging people to use mosquito nets, wear full-sleeved shirts and cover their legs with long pyjamas or lungis, he added.

The minister said the government had taken all necessary measures to prevent dengue and treat patients.

"The government currently has its highest-ever stock of reagents needed for dengue testing," he said.

Adequate test kits have been supplied across the country, while additional stocks remain at the central warehouse, he added.

Sakhawat said government hospitals were providing NS1 tests free of charge, while fees for IgG and IgM tests had been reduced from Tk300 to Tk50.

"The Central Medical Stores Depot currently has 1,06,600 test kits, with another 5 lakh expected within a month," he said.

The government has also kept 1 lakh additional saline bags as a special reserve, he added.

Private hospitals have been directed to reserve 10% of their beds for dengue patients, the minister said.

He said the government met owners of private medical colleges and hospitals around six weeks ago and asked them to reserve the beds for dengue patients.

The hospitals also agreed to conduct tests at the rates fixed for government facilities, he added.

Sakhawat said mobile hospitals had been kept ready in case the dengue situation worsened, while preparations had also been made to deploy the army if necessary.

"The government is expanding intensive care facilities at district-level hospitals," he said.

Ten-bed intensive care units have already opened in 12 districts, while five more districts will receive the facilities within 15 days, he added.

The minister urged lawmakers to strengthen cleanliness drives in their constituencies alongside mosquito-control activities by city corporations and municipalities.

"Mosquitoes are very small insects. In a densely populated country like ours, water accumulates in many places. Mosquito-control workers are sometimes prevented from entering homes. People must therefore become more aware," he said.