Why no urgency to contain dengue?

Frequent spells of rainfall over the last couple of months have created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. While all three genera of mosquitoes---aedes, anopheles and culex---have proliferated due to the favourable conditions, the most dreaded one is aedes that causes dengue and chikungunya. The two city corporations and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have failed to launch any programme aimed at destroying the breeding grounds or containing the spread of the vector-borne diseases. The high incidence of dengue together with its rising death tolls has become a cause for serious concern. Both dengue cases and fatalities may follow the pattern of outbreak of 2023, the worst year on record. But the authorities show no urgency to address this health crisis.

Experts are warning that the dengue situation may worsen in October due to the continued rainfall. Reports already indicate a sharp influx of dengue patients in hospitals, with the number of cases in September doubling compared to August. Overwhelmed by the daily surge of critically ill patients, public hospitals are struggling to provide beds, forcing many patients to receive treatment on the floors. Dengue patients require special attention and care. But when they are forced to receive treatment lying on hospital corridors, questions naturally arise about the quality of care they receive. This raises serious concerns about the health department's preparedness to handle such emergencies. The dengue crisis has become an annual phenomenon. Then, why do these persistent shortcomings continue and why have these issues remained unaddressed all these years?

What has further complicated the matter is the mutation of the dengue virus. Until recently, DENV-2 had been the dominant strain in Bangladesh, but public health experts have expressed deep concern over the rising prevalence of DENV-3 infections. According to researchers, this shift is extremely dangerous. Patients previously infected with DENV-2 face a much higher risk of death if infected again with DENV-3. Antibodies developed against the earlier strain are ineffective against the new one. Again, while dengue has dominated headlines, its sister disease, chikungunya, has quietly wreaked havoc. Though not as deadly as dengue, chikungunya leaves its sufferers battling relentless headaches and physical pain for months, turning daily life into a prolonged ordeal. So, the shifting patterns of dengue and rapid spread of this new strain, particularly in the capital, serves as a stark warning and urgent wake-up call.

Apart from increasing treatment facilities in all hospitals, the government must take immediate and coordinated steps to control this menace. Residents from different parts of the city have alleged that they have only seen sporadic efforts by city corporations to spray anti-mosquito insecticide. Called fogging, this anti-mosquito drive has ever remained suspect of becoming effective against aedes. There is a need for an intensive targeted spraying of larvicide. An intensive drive focusing destruction of breeding grounds in all areas of the city at a time for a certain period, say a fortnight, involving sufficient manpower and mobilising local people, volunteers and students may help bring tangible results. The campaign should be carried on round the year in order to keep the city free of mosquitoes.