Dengue situation turns hazardous

Reza Mahmud :
Dengue situation take a hazardous turn in Bangladesh as the cases are on the rise sharply across the country while the experts blame the authorities for negligence and wrong method efforts of eliminating the fatal disease.

Public health experts said the authorities either showing negligence by giving no importance to eliminating Aedes mosquitoes or they have not sufficient knowledge about how to fight with the mosquito responsible to spread the fever among the people.

They said the authorities’ have lack of entomological research centers.
They also have not any entomological study and entomological survey over the Aedes mosquito which is the lone bearer of the dengue fever.

As per the data of the Directorate General of the Health Services (DGHS), 14 more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in the country to 671 this year.

During the period, 2,115 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, DGHS said.

Of the new patients, 833 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside the capital–indicating a worsening situation across the country, according to DGHS.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 138,022 dengue cases this year in the country.

Sources said, high temperatures and humidity amid intermittent rains are known to lead to a greater aedes population and the weather has remained so for the past few weeks and is expected to remain so for the coming weeks.

Experts fear that the dengue epidemic might raise more in the absence of proper containment mechanisms and amidst favourable weather conditions for aedes mosquitoes.

The public health experts said it is particularly worrying that the dengue containment measures are largely confined to spreading larvicide and adulticide, that too irregularly, inadequately and unscientifically.

They said these measures are often rendered meaningless as the employees of the city corporations do not address the most important factor – the breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes.

Experts said it is impossible to curb dengue incidence without attending to this factor and that a crash programme taking the right steps can substantially minimise the dengue problem in one or two weeks.

The authorities also appear to lag behind in studying the mutation of aedes mosquito gene, which could have helped them use an effective insecticide.

When contacted, Professor Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed, former Director of Communicable Disease Control at the DGHS told The New Nation, “The authorities responsible for eliminating aedes mosquito has no idea that how to fight against aedes mosquito breeding.”

He said the authorities have no entomology laboratory. They have no research, no survey on entomology too.

“As a result their efforts on containing aedes or dengue become nearly meaningless. They are following a faulty method on curbing dengue,” the professor said.

When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Adviser of the World Health Organisation (WHO) told The New Nation, “The government is not taking proper strategy in curbing dengue.”

The professor said, a well analysis of current situation a calculated well prepared strategy can help reduce the dengue spreading.

People as well as the local leaders have to be involved in implementing the strategic activities, the professor said.

Contacted, Brigadier General A.K.M Shafiqur Rahman, Chief Health Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) told The New Nation, “We are rendering our utmost efforts to curb aedes mosquitoes breeding.

But it is domestic areas of the city where the aedes populations are on the rise, where our access is limited.”

He urged the common people to be more conscious to fight against aedes mosquitoes breeding.

The Acting Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dr. Fazle Shamsul Kabir also echoed the same.

He said, the dengue spreading has been reduced to the DSCC areas due to utmost efforts of the corporation.

“You see the dengue cases have been decreased in our jurisdictions.

We have run campaigns to destroy aedes breeding hubs with close monitoring,” Dr. Fazle Shamsul Kabir said.

He said, Ward Councilors are involved with the efforts closely.