Need for all-out drive against dengue virus

Amid all the available indications that the dengue situation in the coming months might become worse, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, while speaking at a function organised to mark the World Malaria Day on Thursday in Dhaka, found the efforts of the two Dhaka city corporations to exterminate dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes inadequate. The minister's concern is very much genuine, as hospitals in Dhaka city have been witnessing admission of a record number of dengue patients since January this year. More than 200 patients are being hospitalised each day lately. The monsoon has just set in and the fear is running high that the number of dengue patients would start rising further in the upcoming months. And, so will the number of deaths.
It is a fact that prevention of infection and death from dengue are not possible on the part of any statutory authority/ organisation alone. It needs to be joint efforts of city corporations, public sector health agencies, non-governmental organisations and city residents. While all agencies will have to work in a coordinated manner to destroy all possible breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes applying chemicals and other technologies developed anywhere and launch a massive awareness campaign, the city residents are to see that rain or household water does not remain accumulated in discarded cans and pots in and around their houses.
The primary responsibility, however, remains with the city corporations or municipalities. When these entities engage themselves in mosquito eradication drives, some awareness gets stirred up among city residents. Unfortunately, Dhaka's two city corporations are yet to demonstrate the urgency in dealing with the crisis unfolding ominously. Nor one of the two city corporations is seemingly interested in applying the mosquito-combating skill acquired recently from the USA at home. There could be claims that corporations are doing enough to control Aedes mosquitoes. But when the health minister says otherwise, one has reasons to take it at face value. So, the city corporations should do what is needed to be done immediately to destroy the Aedes breeding grounds and launch widespread awareness campaigns, particularly in the hotspots of dengue infection.
The health ministry too has to play an important role in combating the viral fever mostly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. When dengue infections reach a critical level, public hospitals find it difficult to deal with the onrush of patients. Some hospitals are even forced to place patients on the floor. It would be incumbent upon the hospitals to dedicate a particular ward for dengue patients. Besides, the health ministry may also examine the possibility of inoculating children aged between 9 and 16 years who have a history of prior dengue infection vaccination. The US Federal Drug Administration approved the vaccine---Dengvaxia---in 2019, which protects the recipients at least for six years from four serotypes of dengue. Such vaccination is seen as necessary since the second dengue infection, on occasions, proves fatal.