Has dengue come to stay?

Syed Fattahul Alim | Published: November 06, 2023 20:11:16

Dengue is still here and taking a heavy toll on public health every day. Though this vector-borne disease should be around in the monsoon months, it seems, Bangladesh has proved to be a happy breeding ground for its carrier, the mosquito called Aedesaegypti. For it is still infecting and killing people and as of November 5, the number of people who died of the disease was over 1400. According to the data available from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), so far over 279,900 people have been infected by the disease and that number, too, is increasing by the day. If compared with previous records of dengue infection in the country since 2000, this year's infection figure is the highest ever. Similarly, the hospitalisation rate is also very high with over 277,800 patients hospitalised to date. And the number is increasing daily. These figures simply point to the enormity of the public health threat facing the nation due to dengue and the mosquito that spread the disease.
Considering the virulence of the dengue in Bangladesh, some entomologists of the country have begun to believe that it is no longer a seasonal disease as it was once thought to be. Also, climate change is being considered as a reason for Aedes mosquito's becoming adaptable to all the seasons of the year. In that case, will the dengue-carrying mosquito require new techniques to kill it? For it has recently been observed that the city corporation authorities were experimenting with many novel ideas to eliminate the mosquito but with little success. And now, it appears, they have resigned themselves to living with dengue and its cause.
But whatever the reason behind the dengue-vector's becoming invincible, climatic or otherwise, the breeding of the mosquito still takes place in stagnant, clean water even if it is in very small amounts accumulated in flower tubs, discarded plastic cans, potholes etc. That means this part of the dengue vector's habit or behaviour has remained unchanged. So, it is still beatable with ordinary means. And the best way to destroy the larvae of this mosquito, as everyone knows, is to spray larvicide on the breeding places of the mosquito. So, the question is if the authorities in charge of eradicating the mosquito causing dengue could develop an effective strategy to fight the menace in a systematic manner. The question arises because one would often come across city corporation workers spraying insecticides using fogging machines to kill the mosquito or its larvae, but, mysteriously, it does not seem to work. Otherwise, how could the mosquito become so stubborn and powerful to survive all the attempts made by the local government bodies to exterminate it? True, the residents of the city or other areas of the country where dengue is endemic have a role in keeping their surroundings, especially the potential breeding places free of the disease's vector. But that cannot be any excuse for laying the blame for any failure of combating dengue at the citizens' door. For the citizens pay the government tax and, in return, expect that the latter through its various organs would look after their wellbeing.
However, pointing the finger at any government organ or the public is not the solution to the matter in hand. What is needed is getting out of the habit of adopting stopgap measures to deal with the public health threat posed by dengue and its vector. The matter (of combating dengue) should be a top priority for the government, like it was during the Covid time in 2020 and 2021 and action should be taken accordingly.
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