Dengue persisting and this calls for round-the-year measures against the disease

Though the Health Minister Zahid Malik is telling us that adequate measures have been taken to contain the dengue outbreak this year, the ground reality tells a different picture. Only one week is left for this month of October to go, patients in their hundreds are being detected with the disease. This year the second highest number of dengue patients, crossing the 28000 mark, has been diagnosed with the vector-borne viral disease.
Everyday about half a dozen dengue patients are dying. Yesterday it was reported that four people died in the last 24 hours making the total 110 this year. In Dhaka alone 65 people died. According to doctors, this year a new strain of dengue virus, named DEN 4 serotype, has emerged causing abdominal pain, breathing difficulties and loss of appetites among the most patients.
Though the rate of infection appeared to be dangerous this year, the relevant authorities were not alert to tackle the disease. Even in June/July when the disease was spreading in a major way, the two city corporations were hardly seen killing mosquitoes effectively.
The outbreak of the disease this time was so huge, the hospitals in the capital, public or private, are virtually grappling with huge numbers of patients coming for admission daily. That also created panic among people. They were helpless. On the one hand, any effective measure to kill mosquitoes was hardly seen and hospitals did not have capacity to admit and treat patients effectively on the other hand.
The dengue now has spread all across the country. Up until 2018, the dengue outbreak was limited to the capital only, but it has now become a nationwide problem.
Though after October, it is expected that this monsoonal disease would gradually disappear. But it is well advised that the relevant authorities, including the two city corporations in Dhaka and elsewhere as well as all municipalities of the country, would learn from this year’s failure and take all-out measures to control mosquitoes round the year, not just in the monsoon. Dengue fever has now become such an endemic problem.
Moreover, at this point of time if the battle against dengue is relaxed thinking that the fever outbreak is largely controlled as the authorities are claiming, this can spell disaster. Every passing day patients in their hundreds are getting infected by the fever and these patients should be given life saving care everywhere. The health ministry will have to ensure that precisely.