Let’s take the fight to Aedes
It is heartening to know that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recently identified 19 Aedes hotspots in Dhaka—areas that are extremely vulnerable to dengue due to the widespread presence of Aedes mosquito, the carrier of the virus. Of them, 10 are in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and nine in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). The survey, conducted from July 29 to August 7 in 100 areas of 98 wards of the two city corporations, is the first known quantitative risk assessment of this year's dengue season in the capital, where most of the dengue cases have been reported. If followed with quick and coordinated interventions, it will be quite helpful in containing the spread of the virus. It can help narrow down the focus in our fight against an "enemy" which, until recently, was largely ignored because of its significantly more infectious and dangerous counterpart—the coronavirus.
According to the survey, Basabo and Goran are at the top of the list of risky areas in DSCC with 73.3 points on the Breteau Index, whereas in DNCC, Moghbazar and New Eskaton are the riskiest areas with 56.7 points. The Breteau Index reflects the number of containers with Aedes larvae per 100 houses inspected. As well as the 19 hotspots, there are 26 other areas in DNCC and 30 in DSCC that got 20 points, meaning those are at risk as well. There are more insights to be drawn from this survey: in the areas identified as risky, the highest 18.5 percent of Aedes larvae was found on flooded floors, 12.1 percent in plastic drums, 9.4 percent in plastic buckets, 7.5 percent in flower tubs, 6.9 percent in discarded tyres and 3.2 percent in pots.
While there can be still places having escaped the radar of the DGHS team—who visited about 3,000 houses as part of the survey—what we have now should give the authorities of two city corporations ample ammunition to take the fight to dengue, rather than groping in the dark for a solution, passing the buck for failure on to each other, or the public in general, or randomly spraying larvicides/insecticides without a plan or target.
The latest revelations come at a time when the dengue situation shows no signs of abetting. At least 291 dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till Sunday morning. Of them, only 32 are from outside Dhaka. This takes the total number of infected since January 2021 to at least 8,041 people, of whom 5,383 got infected in the last 22 days. Twelve people died last month and 24 in the previous 22 days. The rising trend is a serious cause for concern, coming as it does against a backdrop of still-very-high coronavirus infections, overwhelming the entire healthcare system. We can't handle another major crisis lurking in our backyard. The authorities must ramp up their efforts to tackle the dengue crisis by undertaking an inclusive, well-coordinated response plan, not just in Dhaka but across the country.
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