Shishir Reza :
The variation of humidity, temperature and rainfall is likely to have ample health consequences. High temperature manipulates the reproduction and survival of the infective agent within the vector, thereby further influencing disease diffusion in areas where the vector is previously present. The ecology and transmission dynamics of vector borne disease are complex. Vector borne diseases are transmitted by insects – mosquitoes and ticks that are sensitive to temperature, humidity and rainfall.
Around a decade back when dengue suddenly took its heavy toll all over the country, affected people suffered mostly because of the lack of medical facilities in both government-run and private hospitals and clinics. Over the years, although the facilities are more or less available, casualties do take place. Deaths occur more in small towns and rural areas where awareness level is believed to be poor and anti-dengue campaign is not adequate to warn people about the killing disease. Children, particularly minors, are easy victims of dengue attack and also succumb to the ailment more than the adults.
Mosquito-borne diseases can spread due to lack of proper faeces management. Survey around 6,000 households (UNICEF Report, 2018) implies, in urban poor areas among the latrines, pit latrine with slab without lid and water-seal is the major one -53%. Pit latrine with slab and water-seal is 13%. Pit latrine with slab without water-seal is 5.9%. Pit latrine with slab and flap without water-seal is 8.1%. Latrine without slab or open pit latrine is 7.3%. Latrine connected with open drain with flush or pouring water is 5%. Flush latrine connected to septic tank is 3.1%. Use of hanging latrines is 3.1%. Pit latrine with ventilation system 1.4%. In general, by reducing fresh water supplies, climate alteration affects sanitation and lowers the efficiency of local sewer systems, leading to amplify concentrations of pathogens in unprocessed water supplies. Later on mosquito larvae gets developed in such places, which may in turn cause mosquito-borne diseases once it bites humans.
Apart from that, numerous diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes (chikungunia, dengue, and yellow fever), sand flies (leishmaniasis) and ticks (Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis) may also be amplified by climate alteration.
Prevalence of dengue fever in the capital and elsewhere appears to be a common feature at the advent of the monsoon but there is hardly any effort on the part of the authorities to fight its outbreak. Reports have it that the mosquito-borne disease has lately taken a serious turn in many parts of the country, including Dhaka. In Dhaka alone, there are reports of hundreds of people suffering dengue attack recently, a majority of whom were hospitalised. A local daily quoting sources of the DG Health Services (DGHS) has described the situation as alarming.
To tackle such situation, some steps can be taken: measures to resolve environmental hazards; provision of safe water and planning for preservation; improvement of health care services and maximisation of the public utility services and their equitable distribution.
In short, for sustainable health growth of people, application of education on primary health care, environment, sanitation and climatic insurgencies can play key roles.
(The writer is an Environment Analyst and Associate Member of Bangladesh Economic Association).
