Twenty-nine of the 75 wards under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) have been classified as high-risk for dengue, following an Aedes mosquito larvae survey conducted by the city authorities.
DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam disclosed the findings at a press briefing at Nagar Bhaban auditorium in the capital today (4 November).
He said mosquito density exceeded the benchmark in 57 wards, of which 29 were categorised as high-risk and 28 as medium-risk. The remaining 18 wards were classified as low-risk.
The 12-day survey, conducted from 27 September to 8 October, covered 2,250 houses, with 30 randomly selected from each ward. A total of 36 field workers from DSCC and the Directorate General of Health Services took part in the survey, collecting data through the Kobo Toolbox app.
Aedes larvae or pupae were found in 322 of the houses inspected.
Plastic buckets accounted for the largest share of mosquito breeding sites at 14.21%, followed by plastic drums at 11.22%, water stored in basements at 9.98% and flower tubs at 5.92%.
The high-risk areas include wards 15, 16, 19, 20 and 21 in Zone 1; wards 1, 2, 9, 11, 12 and 13 in Zone 2; wards 14, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 55 and 56 in Zone 3; ward 31 in Zone 4; wards 53 and 54 in Zone 5; wards 62 and 65 in Zone 9; and wards 58, 59, 60 and 61 in Zone 10. Green Model Town in Zone 7 was also identified as high-risk. Zones 6 and 8 had no high-risk wards.
The survey found larvae in 31.37% of independent houses, 31.06% of multistoried buildings, 17.39% of semi-pucca houses, 13.04% of buildings under construction and 7.14% of vacant plots.
“As lives are at stake, we want people to know which wards are more at risk so that they can be aware,” Abdus Salam said.
He said none of the wards classified as high-risk in the previous survey appeared on this year’s list, attributing the change to intensified mosquito-control activities by the corporation.
Ten dengue patients from DSCC areas were hospitalised on 3 November, while the corporation has so far recorded 16 deaths, he said.
The administrator noted that dengue patients from across the country are admitted to hospitals in Dhaka, meaning the overall city hospital figures do not necessarily reflect cases among DSCC residents.
He said up to 80% of dengue transmission could be prevented if residents cleared stagnant water at least once a week, urging the media to help raise public awareness.
Abdus Salam also announced that DSCC would clean latrines at all primary schools in the city every Saturday.
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