The Directorate General of Health Services has detected the larvae of the Aedes mosquito, the vector for several diseases including dengue fever and chikungunya, in 57.33 per cent of houses in Rajshahi city.
The prevalence was found in a survey conducted by the directorate in July as part of DGHS鈥檚 routine pre-, peak-, and post-season monitoring, officials said.
Health officials in the city said that the prevalence in the Rajshahi City Corporation area was also higher than that recorded in other major cities in the country in recent surveys.
During the survey in Rajshahi, the directorate inspected 75 houses in five wards, out of 30, in the city, and larvae were found in 43 water containers inside 32 houses.
According to the district entomology unit of the directorate, larvae were found in 45.33 per cent of houses during the 2024 peak season, while the March鈥揂pril pre-season survey found 10鈥�15 per cent larval presence.
Public health experts warned that such a high prevalence of larvae indicated a strong potential for a rise in dengue cases in the coming weeks, particularly during the ongoing monsoon when standing water is more common.
District entomologist Umme Habiba said that the larvae were found in a range of common domestic containers and surfaces capable of holding water, including flower pots, open coconut shells, rooftop gardens, yoghurt containers and toys.
鈥楾hese findings have been compiled and sent to the Rajshahi City Corporation, along with specific recommendations for larva control measures,鈥� she said.
The recommendations include conducting expert-led entomological surveys, training mosquito control staff, running ward-based drives to destroy breeding sites, launching mass-awareness campaigns, ensuring regular fogging, especially in hospitals, monitoring dengue patients under nets, educating rooftop garden owners, and, if needed, imposing fines through special enforcement.
At Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, dengue admissions have been rising in recent weeks.
Hospital records show that over the past two months, 326 dengue patients have received treatment, with 25 remaining admitted as of Saturday.
Sankar K Biswas, spokesperson and in-charge of RMCH emergency department, told 抖阴精品 that nine new dengue patients were admitted to the hospital in the past twenty-four hours ending Saturday morning.
He said that the pattern of people being infected with dengue was different from last year.
鈥楾his time, dengue is silently increasing. Although the patients who were infected last year had a travel history, but 97 per cent of the patients this year were infected locally, indicating an increase in community-level infection,鈥� he said.
He said that such a high prevalence of larvae in the city indicated a strong potential for a rise in dengue cases in Rajshahi in the coming weeks.
Rajshahi City Corporation chief sanitation officer Sheikh Md Mamun said that the heavy rainfall and waterlogging had created numerous mosquito breeding grounds.
鈥楢ccording to my assumption, the presence of larvae in the city houses is more than mentioned in the study,鈥� he said and added that since it was monsoon, their main focus was to ensure that the flow of drain water did not stop anywhere.
鈥榃e have been constantly cleaning the bushes everywhere and warning people. However, the main work - to kill the larvae - will start after monsoon,鈥� he added.