Winning the war against dengue Two city corps must act together

WITH the monsoon intensifying, Bangladesh once again faces the familiar threat of dengue.

The contrasting mosquito-control strategies adopted by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) reflect a growing recognition that the fight against Aedes mosquitoes requires more than routine fogging.

Yet the success of either approach will ultimately depend on sustained implementation, scientific monitoring and active public participation.

The new nation on Saturday reported that DNCC has chosen an operationally intensive strategy, deploying mosquito-control teams several times a day and establishing rapid-response units to tackle sudden outbreaks.

DSCC, on the other hand, has adopted a more targeted approach by concentrating resources on wards identified through scientific surveys as being at the highest risk. Both strategies have clear merits.

Frequent field operations can suppress mosquito populations and respond swiftly to public complaints, while evidence-based interventions ensure that limited resources are directed where they are needed most.

Neither approach, however, offers a complete solution in isolation. Fogging mainly destroys adult mosquitoes and provides only temporary relief.

Unless breeding sites are eliminated, new generations of mosquitoes will quickly replace those killed.

Likewise, survey-based programmes are only as effective as the quality of the data that guide them.

Risk assessments must be updated regularly, and follow-up inspections are essential to ensure breeding grounds have actually been removed.

The challenge facing the city corporations has also evolved. Dengue is no longer confined to densely populated or low-income neighbourhoods.

Rooftop gardens, construction sites, air-conditioner trays, abandoned containers and poorly maintained residential buildings have become major breeding grounds.

This changing pattern demands closer coordination between city authorities, developers, building owners and residents.

Bangladesh’s experience over the past decade demonstrates that dengue has become a persistent public health challenge rather than a seasonal concern.

Preventing another large-scale outbreak requires a unified strategy that combines DNCC’s operational intensity with DSCC’s data-driven planning.

The Directorate General of Health Services, local government institutions and hospitals must also work together to strengthen surveillance, improve public awareness and ensure timely interventions.

We must say the responsibility for controlling dengue therefore extends beyond the city corporations; it is a shared civic duty.

Only through coordinated action, scientific planning and public engagement can Dhaka hope to break the cycle of recurring dengue outbreaks and protect the health of its people.