Children Are More Affected by Dengue

 

"The child's father is sleeping in the heart of all children". Children are the future of the nation. But these children are getting sick in many ways due to our lack of awareness. Children are getting affected by dengue fever every year during the rainy season. Most of the children are affected with dengue due to the bite of the Aedes mosquito. The incidence of Aedes mosquito is high in the country's divisional cities except the capital. There is more fear among mothers with children due to fear of dengue. Adults are also less likely to be affected by dengue fever.

According to Bangladesh Health and Injury (BHIS), 30,000 children die every year from accidents in Bangladesh. More than half of them died by drowning. 1 to 18 year olds have the highest drowning death rate. 17,000 children drown every year. An average of 46 children die every day. The remaining 13,000 children are dying every year from various diseases including pneumonia, tuberculosis, polio, diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever. Child mortality rate in Bangladesh is not decreasing in any way.

Currently, the number of dengue fever patients is increasing across the country. Every day more and more people are dying from this disease. Every day the number of new patients is increasing for admission in all departmental and district headquarters hospitals of Bangladesh. Dengue wards should be opened separately in every government district hospital of the country. There is no place for these patients in the hospital. About 2 billion people in the world are at risk of dengue due to rising temperatures, climate change and floods in the country.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes carry the dengue virus. These mosquitoes are native to the African continent. They live in the hot climate of Africa. With climate change, they spread to Asia, America and Australia. At the end of the 18th century, the Aedes aegypti mosquito appeared in America and the Aedes albopictus mosquito first appeared in Asia. However, it was not until the 20th century that the dengue virus was identified. In 1944 Dr. Albator Sabin first identified dengue virus and separated it as dengue-1 and dengue-2. In 1956 Hammon and his colleagues identified two new dengue viruses and named them Dengue-3 and Dengue-4. Dengue fever can be caused by these four types of viruses. But among them, Dengue-2 and Dengue-3 viruses are more deadly. Dengue is a type of severe fever carried by Aedes mosquitoes. The presence of Aedes mosquitoes in the city of Dhaka in the mid-sixties made people panic. At that time, doctors could not identify them correctly and promoted it as 'Dhaka fever'. After a long break, this mosquito 1996 Appears again in 1996. However, since 2000, dengue virus has been seen regularly in Dhaka every monsoon season. Every day there are reports of dengue cases from different parts of the country. If it is not prevented at the right time, they can appear in the form of an epidemic. There are many examples of this in the world. In Egypt and Java in 1779, in Philadelphia in 1780, it spread in epidemic form to the Americas, Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia in the early twentieth century. Thousands of people lost their lives in these epidemics. Aedes mosquitoes exist in more than 120 countries worldwide. Every year 25 lakh people are affected by dengue fever due to their bites.

In the past, 20 percent of dengue patients died. At present, it has been possible to reduce this rate to an average of 3 to 5 percent. Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the death rate to one per thousand.

Aedes mosquitoes breed in water that collects under refrigerators, water from air-conditioning machines, cans, and flower tubs. However, these mosquitoes are more likely to be born in clay pots, tires, buckets and cement boxes. They prefer red, black or gray colors. More than 97 percent of mosquitoes breed in these places. They cannot breed in clear water. Because clean water does not contain the necessary food products. They feel comfortable to breed in polluted water. To destroy the Aedes mosquito, it is most necessary to clean clay pots, bottles, tires and plastic containers and cement boxes.

Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs in dry places and their eggs do not hatch without water. Their eggs are good for 1 to 4 years. At temperatures above 20 degrees centigrade, the eggs hatch within 35 hours and a maximum of 72 hours. Once a mosquito carries the virus, it remains in its body for life. If a mosquito bites a dengue patient, it will also carry the virus. Therefore, dengue patients should stay away from mosquitoes more.

The amount of damage caused by classical dengue is less. But hemorrhagic dengue can cause significant damage to humans and even death. The risk of death is higher in those who contract dengue fever a second time. However, dengue is not a contagious disease. Not all dengue viruses harm humans. The first symptom of dengue is fever. Symptoms of fever appear after 7-8 days of mosquito bite. The patient's high level rises up to 104-105 degrees. Along with pain in the whole body even in the bones. Nausea, bleeding under the skin, bleeding from the gums, nose. Red or black colored stools. The affected person may bleed from various internal organs. As a result, the blood count decreases. According to expert doctors, if the blood count falls below one lakh, the patient must be taken to the hospital for treatment.

It is necessary to completely destroy all the places where the Aedes mosquito lays its eggs, i.e. its breeding grounds. In addition to keeping clean all around the house, earthen pots, plastic containers with tires and drums made of cement should be kept clean. Care should be taken that water does not accumulate anywhere for more than 5 days. Along with making people aware about this, fogging should be done regularly. During fogging, keeping the doors and windows of the house closed and opening them after at least 20 minutes gives good results. Since Aedes mosquitoes bite more in the evening and early morning, mosquito coils or sprays should be used indoors from dawn to 8 a.m. and before and after dusk. In addition, mosquito nets must be used while sleeping.

Children should wear shoes, socks and light-colored full-sleeved shirts and pants when sent to school to protect themselves from Aedes mosquitoes. Cleanliness campaigns should be conducted in schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, terminals and under-construction houses. Must return home.

The government of Bangladesh is carrying out a comprehensive program to prevent the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. All the city corporations of the country, including the two city corporations of Dhaka, have taken measures to make people aware, apart from regular spraying of mosquito repellants in the municipal meetings. Especially in the areas of the two city corporations of Dhaka and all the city corporations of the country, cleanliness has been carried out with the operation of mobile coats. Monitoring continues.

This world is ours. We have the right to live in a healthy and normal way. Our children. We will make the world habitable for children - our strong commitment to the newborn. We all have to keep an eye out so that no disease like dengue can make the world uninhabitable.


Komol Chowdhury is a senior journalist
and an author based in Dhaka.