Dengue fever is taking on alarming shape in the city with about 60 dengue cases reported during this month.

This year dengue has broken out later than last year but the number of patients coming to the hospital for treatment is increasing day by day.

According to the control room of the Directorate of Health Services 58 patients were admitted to different hospitals in the city till July 22. One has died so far, according to the source. But unofficial sources say the number of people affected is much higher.

Most of the dengue patients admitted in the city hospitals are from different areas of the city.

Yesterday three patients were admitted into BIRDEM Hospital, four to Mitford Hospital, two to Suhrawardy Hospital and one to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, according to the control room sources.

Sources said the Aedes mosquito which spreads dengue was breeding rapidly as rain water was depositing at various breeding grounds in the late monsoon. Though the Dhaka City Corporation has deployed rapid action force larviciding activities were not visible.

Meanwhile a high level meeting held at the ministry of health and family welfare on Monday observed that prevention was the only effective management of dengue fever. It decided that the ministry of health would play a main role in combating dengue situation.

Advisor of the caretaker government in charge of the ministry of health and family welfare and religious affairs ministry Prof Abdul Malik presided over the meeting attended by health secretary Muhammad Fazlur Rahman, local government secretary Badiur Rahman, education secretary Shahidul Alam, religious affairs secretary Muhammad Shafiuddin, WHO Representative Suniti Achariya, Directors General of the Directorate of health, family planning, dengue experts, directors of the hospitals and representatives of BIRDEM and Dhaka City Corporation.

The meeting decided that the ministries of local government, religious affairs and education would extend co-operation to the ministry of health in handling dengue situation. It adopted a resolution to involve the civil society in preventing dengue.

The meeting urged the people not to panic about dengue fever.