Addressing dengue threat

Every year, Bangladesh experiences dengue outbreak. With four more people having died of the mosquito-borne disease on Monday, the dengue menace seems to take a heavier toll in the coming days if the authorities concerned do not take immediate preventive measures. So far, dengue has claimed the lives of 37 people this year across the country. A fresh batch of 345 dengue patients have also been hospitalised during the period, as a result, the total number of dengue patients reached to 9,095 in the calendar, as per official data. This shows that there is a chance of witnessing a higher number of dengue patients this year compared to the past couple of years.
Dengue virus is known to remain a threat from June to September in the country. But experts fear that the disease may stay longer this year because the standing water from the season's rain has created an optimal environment for the disease-carrying Aedes mosquitoes to breed. So, strict preventive measures should be taken by the authorities concerned to keep the virus at bay. One of which is a city-wide fumigation to kill breeding mosquitoes and their eggs before they have a chance of spreading the disease. More useful fumigants should be procured as the existing ones are apparently failing to deliver the desired results. Hospitals should be well-equipped to treat the rising number of dengue patients so that people do not have to lose their lives anymore.

Badsha Faysal,
Jurain, Dhaka,
badshafaysal1998@gmail.com