DGHS issues fresh guidelines for COVID, dengue treatment

With 429 new dengue patients hospitalised in the last 24 hours and a fresh sub-variant of COVID-19 emerging, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued updated treatment guidelines to ensure better preparedness in public and private health facilities across the country.

The dengue outbreak continues to grip several regions, particularly the south-western Barishal division, which accounted for 113 of the newly-reported hospitalisations - the highest among all divisions. Other affected regions include Chattogram (78 cases), Khulna (55), Rajshahi (48), Dhaka South City Corporation (56), Dhaka North (18), Mymensingh (11), Rangpur (6), and Dhaka division excluding the capital (24), according to the DGHS.

However, 411 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of this year, dengue has claimed 62 lives and infected 17,218 people nationwide.

While COVID-19 remains relatively subdued - with only two new infections detected in the last 24 hours - the health authorities remain vigilant due to the appearance of a new sub-variant.

In response, the DGHS has released a comprehensive set of directives for all public and private hospitals, aiming to standardise care for both dengue and COVID-19 patients as well as to mitigate the risks of co-infection and healthcare system overload.

Signed by DGHS Director (Hospitals and Clinics) Dr Abu Hossain Md Moinul Ahsan, the circular mandates the establishment of flu or fever corners in outpatient departments to triage and categorise febrile patients under dengue severity classifications A, B, or C. Public hospitals must ensure availability of dengue diagnostic kits and proper stock of intravenous fluids, while private facilities must adhere to the pre-set testing fees.

Dedicated dengue beds or wards, mosquito nets, and trained medical teams are to be arranged in all hospitals. The circular also emphasises accurate recordkeeping of fluid intake and output for each dengue patient as well as stresses the importance of geo-location tracing by properly logging patients' mobile numbers and addresses.

To improve surveillance and data collection, all laboratories are now required to report through the DGHS's dengue tracker app. Furthermore, 21 major medical centres across the country are designated to supply platelet concentrates as per the national guidelines.

On the COVID-19 front, the directive reiterates the importance of maintaining personal protection measures for healthcare workers, including mask-wearing and PPE use. Hospitals must ensure adequate hand-washing stations, oxygen supplies, isolation beds, and access to rapid antigen kits, either from the CDC or through proper procurement channels. Positive antigen test results must be confirmed via RT-PCR testing and reported through the national health information systems.

Unnecessary referrals of COVID-19 patients are discouraged, and hospitals are advised to follow the 10th version of the National COVID-19 Clinical Management Guideline. Public awareness regarding infection control must also be reinforced among patients and visitors.

As dengue continues to spread and COVID-19 risks remain, the DGHS has urged all healthcare institutions to implement these measures swiftly and collaborate with local government bodies to maintain hospital cleanliness and ensure effective vector control around healthcare premises.

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