Holistic approach to combating dengue

Some places in Mugda Medical College and Hospital, a major destination of dengue patients after Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, have been considered risky for patients and visitors, as a Bangla daily reported. Drains and garbage littered here and there on the hospital compound are the potential breeding ground for aedes larvae. Let's be clear that protecting the masses from the outbreak of dengue doesn't depend just on doctors, nurses and medicines. It is essential to keep our environment clean so that there can be no breeding ground for dengue larvae. As it is often said, prevention is better than cure, and we must not allow water-logging where we live. Otherwise, the dengue menace will remain.

The newspaper report also said a section of hospital staffers are reluctant to carry out blood tests. It is time-consuming to complete the tests and then get reports. Some people prefer 'home service' for taking samples of blood although the process involves additional expenses. Meanwhile, a number of physicians and nurses have been suffering from dengue after they were perhaps bitten while serving patients at hospital. This shows nobody is safe and hardly any place in the city is free from dengue. We, therefore, want a holistic approach to combating dengue by keeping our environment clean, taking proper medical care and creating mass awareness about preventive measures.

Alamgir Hossain

Kaigari, Bogra