The dengue situation might worsen in the coming months of August and September, according to health experts. Despite the government's visible preventive measures, the numbers of cases and fatalities from dengue fever are rising day by day as a record number of dengue cases and deaths were reported in the country in the first six months of this year.
According to experts, the pattern of Aedes mosquitoes has changed as it has now become much "smarter" than before. It is worth mentioning that the behaviour pattern of Aedes mosquitoes has changed as they bite people throughout the day and night, and can remain active in artificial light outside, which is playing a vital role in dengue infection.
The number of dengue patients getting admitted into hospitals and death toll of already admitted patients continue to rise. The Directorate General of Health Services earlier issued a warning that those who previously had dengue and recovered will not be affected by the same type of dengue. However, there is a risk of death if affected by a different type of dengue.
The government should deploy
expert teams to visit dengue-prone
areas and inform people about
how to destroy all potential
mosquito-breeding sites
According to Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), people are being infected mostly with dengue variant (DEN-2) this year. Analysing a limited number of samples it has been found that 62 per cent of the patients have been infected with dengue variant DEN-2. Experts are of the opinion that mortality risks become higher if a previous patient of the disease is infected with a different variant. However, early detection and immediate hospitalisation can help lower the risks significantly.
Experts have advised all organisations, including city corporations, municipalities, and union parishads, to play a strong role in controlling Aedes mosquitoes. Dengue mosquitoes thrive in areas with stagnant water in puddles, water tanks, containers and old tyres. Hence, at the household level, people need to be aware of these issues, and keep their houses clean.
The best way to prevent the disease from spreading in settlements is to remove waterlogged areas, keep the settlements always clean and properly dump bio-degradable garbage away from human settlements and use insecticide-treated mosquito nets. These are not difficult tasks. Proper hygiene and sanitation can help prevent the transmission of dengue virus.
Proper directives should be provided to the hospitals in case of encountering any dengue cases as in both dengue and coronavirus cases the symptom of fever is common. The government should deploy expert teams to visit dengue-prone areas and inform people about how to destroy all potential mosquito-breeding sites. Also, in order to control Aedes mosquitoes, devising an integrated initiative, especially involving locals has become the need of the hour. If city authorities do not devise necessary measures immediately to control Aedes mosquitoes, there might be a surge in the number of dengue patients.
