DENGUE has taken a turn for the worse in Dhaka since May 1 as a survey has found high presence of the vector of the disease, Aedes mosquito, in the capital. So far this year 258 people were hospitalised with dengue in Dhaka and two of them died. But 148 of them had to stay in hospital for 33 days since May 1. Which is very frustrating is that, when dengue menace becomes alarming the Dhaka’s Mosquito Control Department is in total shamble.
The number of dengue cases was the highest since 2000 in 2018 as at least 26 people died of dengue and 10,148 others were hospitalised with dengue in Dhaka, according to the Health Directorate. A recent study has found high level of larvae of Aedes in water collected from abandoned tyres, plastic drums, buckets, open tanks and flower tubs in all 97 wards of the mega city. The findings are horrific as all the areas in the capital were found to have more than five in every 100 houses infested with larvae. Upcoming monsoon may turn devastating for mosquito borne diseases as the authority concern is unaware and mired in trouble.
Meanwhile, the Mosquito Control Department officials said they have no power except distributing insecticides to all the zones under Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation. The Department has 281 staffers; only 13 of them do official work and the rest 269 do field work under the supervision of the two City Corporations. The government should strengthen the activities of the Department of Mosquito Control, increase its staff and give it full authority or incorporate it under the two city Corporations so that they could work as City Corporation staffers.
The government and the City Corporations should work in a coordinated way to control mosquito menace before outbreak dengue and mosquito enticed diseases in the city.
