It is the worst timing for the dengue, an Aedes mosquito-borne seasonal viral disease, to emerge as a major health problem. The outbreak of the disease is proving to be an extra headache when the nation is facing an unprecedented health emergency created by yet another virus---SARS-CoV-2. The health authorities are deeply worried by the increase in the number of dengue patients in recent weeks, mostly in Dhaka. The rush of Covid-19 patients is overwhelming the hospitals across the country. The hospital authorities are being forced to accommodate Covid-patients in the bed reserved for non-Covid patients and even on the floors.
The hospitals could face a grimmer situation if the current rate of dengue infections persists for some more days. Nearly 1500 dengue patients, according to the directorate general of health services (DGHS) estimate, got admitted to hospitals during the first six days of this month when the number of patients was less than that in 2020. Dengue causes a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from subclinical to severe flu-like symptoms. Physicians consider haemorrhagic dengue as the worst type.
For nearly two decades, dengue has been a health problem in Bangladesh. Its intensity has increased in recent years. The disease remained mainly confined to Dhaka city until 2019. But being a transmittable disease, it did spread to other districts. A couple of years back, the country saw a record outbreak of the disease across the country. Over 0.1 million infections and 164 deaths were reported in just two weeks of August in 2019. The situation is not that bad this year until now.
It is nothing surprising that citizens would be curious to know what the city corporations have been doing to control the aedes mosquito. One has to admit the fact that unlike their predecessors the two mayors are alive to the problem and they have been trying to sensitise the residents of Dhaka about their duties and responsibilities to keep the dengue at bay. Aedes mosquitoes need breeding ground and human beings offer that through their negligence; they allow accumulation of clean water in small pots and discarded containers in their house and places around.
The city corporations, besides motivating the city residents, themselves are supposed to take up programmes to destroy the aedes breeding grounds located beyond the control of individual residents. They have been pursuing their age-old mosquito eradication programme where killing the adult Culex mosquitoes and destroying the larvae of the same vector remains to be the primary objective. However, allegations of inaction or the use of ineffective insecticides in the mosquito eradication programme do often surface. On occasions, the corporations dismiss the allegations in a feeble voice. But the fact remains that the inhabitants have been victims of mosquitoes of different types and the pathogens they carry.
It is not that hard to contain this vector-borne disease to a minimum level if a sustained move is taken jointly by city residents and two corporations. Before the start of the monsoon every year, all will have to be extra vigilant not to offer any breeding ground to aedes. An awareness campaign coupled with a massive drive on the ground can help achieve that objective.