The country may face a worsened dengue situation this year, if the government fails to take proper precautionary measures. With the spells of rain before and after the Eid-ul-Fitr, a friendly environment has been created across the country for dengue larvae breeding, said experts.
Besides, the local government bodies across the country, which have been poorly functioning since the fall of the Awami League regime, need to be empowered to control the dengue situation.
However, the experts expressed hope that the newly-appointed political administrators may help in this regard.
"If the local government bodies fail to prepare beforehand, the dengue situation will be worse this year than last year," Prof Kabirul Bashar, a medical entomologist and teacher at Jahangirnagar University, told the FE.
As a number of people left the city for village homes during the Eid festival, rainwater remained stagnant in the city buildings, open containers, flower containers, basements, etc. Waterlogging is the primary source of dengue breeding, as it creates a friendly environment for larvae, he explained.
"We need to clear the logged water immediately and clean the environment."
He cautioned about the poorly-functioning local government, as it is the responsible institution to oversee the dengue situation and take necessary measures.
"Until the local government bodies function properly, the dengue situation across the country cannot be addressed. The situation may worsen this year than last year, if we fail to take proper steps. And, the dengue menace would be more critical in the rural areas than Dhaka," he added.
However, the entomologist said the Culex mosquito situation has improved a bit. Earlier, in this month there were reports of 850 bites of Culex mosquito per hour to a person, which reduced to 600 this week. The larvae density of Culex mosquito also reduced from 1,000 per deep (in water bodies) to 500 after the recent spells of rain, he continued.
The mosquito menace has made life uncomfortable indoors and outdoors, with their numbers rose about 40 per cent in February than in the previous two months.
Prof Kabirul Bashar identified four main causes behind the higher density of Culex mosquitoes: prolonged absence of rain, rising temperature, poor waste management and stagnant water, and inaction from the city corporations and local government authorities.
Public health expert Dr. Mushtaq Husain told the FE that the local government bodies need to be functional for ensuring a clean environment ahead of the dengue season.
"The local government authority needs to hold meetings with environment and public health experts, and form a team to guide the government."
He noted that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's announcement of cleaning the environment every Saturday needs to be followed strictly to get relief from dengue.
"We fear that if necessary actions are not taken, the situation in and outside Dhaka would be out of control."
The climate across the country is almost similar, except the hilly areas. Therefore, the dengue situation would be almost the same across the country. And similar priority would be needed for all the areas to control dengue, he suggested.
"A scientific approach with a team of experts is required to address the situation," he added.
Meanwhile, the officials concerned at the Local Government Division said most of them have recently been appointed. They are assessing the situation and working with limited workforce.
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