MOSQUITO menace has recently increased sharply in Dhaka. People have expressed concern about the possible outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases. The concern is not unfounded. The incidence of dengue infection in the capital suddenly increased since July 1, with 93 patients taking admission to hospitals in the first four days of the month. According to health services data, 250 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals in June and three of them died. The National Health Crisis Management Centre and Control Room records show 432 dengue patients and three chikungunya patients in hospital in Dhaka in the first half of the year. In 2017, the country has seen a high incidence of chikungunya and dengue, especially in urban areas. In January, the health services directorate general warned that the incidence of mosquito-borne dengue is expected to rise but there will be no repeat of 2017. It has also identified major pockets in the city where the presence of the vector is more prominent. The places include Gabtali, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Mirpur-1, Nakhalpara, Purba Shewrapara Tolarbagh and Shantinagar. Despite the warning, city authorities have not done enough to prevent an early outbreak of dengue.
That Aedes mosquito poses a serious threat to public health needs to be taken into serious consideration. What is alarming is that a single bite of this mosquito may transmit chikungunya, dengue and zika viruses. The responsibility to control this menace devolves on the two city corporations, Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation. The abject failure of the city corporations to keep the mosquito menace at bay could be attributed to the lack of accountability in the governance of these local government institutions. Surprisingly, city authorities officials have not done enough to eliminate the breeding grounds of the insect under their jurisdiction. It is also important to note that there are many areas in the city where the corporation officials have allegedly not been spraying adulticide using foggers regularly. Allegations are rife that with complicity of the corrupt city corporation officials, traders tasked to do the job often supply adulterated pesticides to the corporations resulting in the failure of the anti-mosquito drives. The evident lack of planning, implementation and monitoring with regard to mosquito control operations by the city corporations is unacceptable.
The early occurrence of dengue points to certain failures of the healthcare managers and agencies such as city corporations, municipalities or other local government bodies as they have failed to control the vector of the dengue infection. At this juncture, it is imperative for the government to hold public awareness programmes about these three diseases, make the city corporations and other public offices entrusted with the task of controlling mosquito menace redouble their efforts in mosquito control, and equip hospitals with adequate funds, necessary medicines and quarantine facilities to wage a war against mosquito-borne diseases.
