Last Year’s Dengue Outbreak: Both DNCC, DSCC partly negligent
A judicial probe committee has found partial negligence of the authorities of Dhaka north and south city corporations over the dengue outbreak in the capital last year.
"Based on experts' opinions and analysis of other information, it appears that Dhaka north and south city corporations have partial negligence over dengue epidemic in 2019, but they cannot be held fully responsible for the outbreak. Besides, nobody is solely responsible for the epidemic," the committee said in a report.
The probe report was handed over to the attorney general's office yesterday for placing it before the High Court as per its earlier order.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Dasgupta, who received the report, told The Daily Star that he would submit the report to the HC today.
According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 101,354 dengue cases were reported last year, of which 49,544 were outside Dhaka. The number of deaths was 156.
During the hearing of a suo moto rule, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton on November 12 formed the probe committee led by Dhaka District Judge Md Helal Chowdhury to identify the persons responsible for outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya in Dhaka.
The inquiry committee talked to experts on how to prevent the spawning of Aedes mosquito, which causes dengue fever.
In the report, the committee said an integrated initiative is needed to prevent the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and other mosquito-borne diseases.
In its recommendations, the committee said though it is the duty of city corporations to fight mosquito, it is not possible for them to do that alone. It will have to be done in a coordinated way.
Coordinated efforts will have to be taken by all service-providing organisations -- Rajuk, Dhaka Wasa, Bangladesh Police, Dhaka Cantonment Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, BRTA, Bangladesh Railway, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Directorate General of Health Services, Metro Rail Authority, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Rehab, house owner associations or welfare associations and others.
The probe committee also recommended taking up short-, mid- and long-term plans to fight mosquito.
As the dengue and chikungunya have been spread across the country, the probe committee suggested forming a separate authority or body to control mosquito centrally. There will be a modern laboratory, research cell and skilled entomologists under the authority.
The committee's other recommendations include forming a high levelorministry level monitoring cell for mosquito control activities and constituting mosquito control monitoring cells incorporating officials and employees from division, district, upazila, union and other city corporations and municipalities.
It also suggested formation of monitoring committees incorporating high officials from every district to oversee mosquito control activities regularly.
The committee proposed examining the effectiveness of insecticides and chemicals in every two years and taking steps accordingly.
It asked the authorities to carry out two surveys every year to find the density of mosquito in the city corporation areas.
The committee suggested building separate warehouses to keep pesticide and equipment to control mosquito.
It also asked the authorities to give more importance on larviciding instead of adulticiding to fight mosquito.
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