The August and September are considered as peak months for mosquito-borne dengue disease in our country. But the peak period has already extended till date, the first day of December. With the onset of the winter, Southwest monsoon also bid adieu to the country.
However, no let-up in dengue fever outbreak as the number of dengue cases continues to rise in different metropolitan cities especially capital Dhaka, towns and remote area of the country. The death toll from dengue infection crossed the 1600-mark as the authorities recorded 1,610 dengue deaths between January 1 and November 28 this year.
On November 15, Bangladesh witnessed 24 dengue deaths, the highest in a single day this year. With the new cases, the total number of patients rose to 3, 100, 46 while some 3, 04869 patients were released from different hospitals out of the total patients.
However, the authorities did not take effective steps during lean periods (November-April), which were vital to controlling the spread of dengue in the following season. So, it is predicted that the ongoing dengue outbreak may prolong this time as a large number of Aedes mosquitoes are grown this year.
It is feared dengue cases and deaths will exceed all previous records this year as the number of cases and fatalities continue to rise, signaling an alarming trend.
Earlier health experts warned the dengue situation would deteriorate this year, asking authorities concerned to launch a massive campaign against all types of mosquitoes.
Rising temperatures and a longer monsoon in the country because of climate change are providing ideal breeding conditions for the dengue-spreading mosquito.
The authorities recorded
1,610 dengue deaths
between January 1 and
November 28 this year
When mayors of Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation continue claiming that their respective officials and councilors remain active in the field to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes, the infection continue to keep rising as people with dengue fever are being admitted to hospitals. It is not possible to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes without destroying the source.
City corporations and people will have to work together for destroying the breeding grounds and other the sources of the Aedes mosquito. Besides, the city corporations must bring dengue to a tolerable level immediately at any cost.
On the other hand, we have noticed that even after repeated warnings, people are not becoming aware. We think the city corporations will not be able to protect the people unless they are aware of it. The ongoing dengue eradication drive will have to be intensified to make it a success so that it would be possible to bring down the number of dengue patients to nil. Apart from these, there is no substitute for a healthy environment for people wellbeing and to ensure a healthy environment, people from all walks of life need to be involved in the social movement for clean-up activities. The city dwellers must discharge their responsibilities properly along with city corporations otherwise; there is a risk that dengue could overwhelm healthcare systems across the country after the Covid-19 pandemic. Country’s many hospitals are still struggling to provide treatment to patients as dengue patients are on the rise. Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs in flower tubs, plastic containers, discarded tires, plastic drums, earthenware pots, buckets, tin cans, coconut shells or coconut garlands, containers, pots, battery cells, etc. Therefore, apart from the city corporations, the physicians and experts will also have to come forward in order to make people more cautious that how and in what way the breeding ground and other the sources Aedes mosquito can be destroyed.
Aedes mosquitoes are unlikely to breed if people do not store water in their backyards, flower tubs, air conditioners, especially basements of under-construction or abandoned buildings, or keep a small amount of kerosene in clean or stored water for three consecutive days.
Besides, unused water containers should be destroyed immediately. So, the city dwellers and city corporations should work together in order to clean all possible breeding grounds of Aedes mosquito to prevent any outbreak of dengue in the city and its outskirts.
