Dengue cases rising
We are worried by a Health Directorate survey reported in this paper yesterday, according to which the presence of Aedes mosquitoes in the city has witnessed a marked rise. This reflects the alarming rise in the reported cases of dengue—which this variant of the virulent fly carries—in the capital. This is even more disturbing because of Bangladesh's geographical presence in the Asia-Pacific where an overwhelming number of the dengue cases worldwide have been reported.
To compound the problem, rainfall in the country in the last few years has been erratic, and urbanisation, unplanned that it is, has made mosquito eradication a formidable task. Also, the capital's garbage disposal system is far from scientific. As a result, an unbridled growth of mosquito population can, in a short span of time, assume into an epidemic and can turn itself into a public health nightmare.
We believe that a high-powered committee needs to be formed immediately to direct the fight against this menace. A crash drive has to be launched to bring some quick relief to the city dwellers. In the long-run, it is essential to procure ingredients on time and initiate surveillance at the beginning of the breeding season to nip the menace in the bud.
On top of it all, it must be kept in mind that mosquito eradication is a round-the-year affair which should go hand in hand with regular cleaning up of the hyacinths and water bodies, spraying larvicide and fogging. Also, the city dwellers need to be encouraged to launch community clean-up drives in the neighbourhood.
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