THIS refers to a letter "Mosquito and spreading Chikungunya" published in the Financial Express on June 29. Deaths of several people are linked to an outbreak of Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria and have once again exposed the inadequacy of national public health programmes that aim to eliminate vector-borne diseases. Chikungunya and Dengue have wrecked havoc. Surveillance for Dengue and Chikungunya covers only those patients who are confirmed by laboratories at government identified sentinel hospitals, most of these are in the public sector. According to doctors, if a person has a history of a chronic disease, it may get aggravated by Chikungunya virus. Chikungunya itself does not kill. It is usually other diseases, in combination with Chikungunya, that cause death. Chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and elderly persons.
Dengue is clearly the disease which has eclipsed malaria in terms of morbidity and mortality. Dengue fever affects close to 400 million people worldwide every year and puts about 40 per cent of the world's population under threat.
Malaria, Chikunkunya and Dengue cause havoc. The fiasco in mosquito control is the key reason for the diseases and success to combat Malaria, Chikunkunya and Dengue lies in long-term effective measures of control and eradication by the government.
Vinod C. Dixit
B-15 Jyotikalash Society
B/H Sundervan, Satellite
Ahmedabad, India
[email protected]
- Sunday, 24 November 2024 |
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