Keeping dengue at bay

While still confronting the looming fear of yet another coronavirus wave, Dhaka city has to deal with the return of dengue recently. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, more than 60 dengue patients are being admitted to different hospitals in the capital city every day. A total of ten people have so far died from dengue this year between January 1 and August 1. More than 1,500 dengue cases have been reported only in July. 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 mosquitoe 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 sporicidal 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.

Sirazi Shahjahan,
Malibagh, Dhaka,
mshaju001@gmail.com