Syed Shemul Parvez :
City dwellers are in panic due to growth of mosquitoes and the dengue infection every day. Many residents complained that ongoing drives against the mosquito were not effective in the city. City Corporations should take necessary steps to eradicate mosquito, inhabitants urged.
Experts, however, called it a high time to uproot the seeds before the rainy season. Government should take rapid actions to destroy the breeding of mosquitoes.
According to earlier data arriving from the Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room, DGHS, Dhaka residents are at the most risk of dengue infections.
Though both the city corporations of Dhaka are taking necessary steps to curb the mosquitoes and dengue infections constantly, the progress is yet to be found.
Omar Faruque, resident of old town Lalbagh, said that we generally observe the activities of DSCC against the mosquito, but with the little progress.
It seems that the action of medicines is not enough, he added.
But a DSCC ward councilor, Hasibur Rahman Manik said, we normally drive against mosquito twice a day. Even we are planning to take more rigid actions to control it, he added.
Sabuj Mahmud, inhabitant of city’s Gendaria area under Jatrabari thana said, we are in panic of mosquito attack. When we come back to residences after finishing the official activities, we cannot sleep peacefully due to enormous mosquito.
Entomologist Kabirul Bashar, a Zoology Professor of Jahangirnagar University, requested the city corporations to take the necessary steps including rapid actions to uproot the germs as winter is breeding season for mosquito.
There is another fact that in other seasons we generally found 40 to 50 seeds of mosquito, but in the winter season we notice around 100, even more than that, he said.
Besides, special drives and activities should be continued throughout the year, instead of just during the mosquito season, Dr Bashar added.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has been conducting a long special mosquito prevention and cleanliness drive in areas under its jurisdiction since November last year.
During their three-hour long expedition, city corporation teams usually visit different areas and establishments and spray insecticides. Mobile courts also fine people if Aedes larvae are found in their houses.
Chief Health Officer of DNCC Bigadier General Dr Zubaidur Rahman said that they had already undertaken awareness programmes like road shows and distributing leaflets among the dwellers.
To uproot the mosquito from city, we need cooperation from every inhabitant. If they are conscious and keep their places net and clean, we hope we can easily solve it, DNCC health officer said.
DNCC is also planning to make materials ready and to encourage people to destroy Aedes mosquito larva, he said, adding that they will supply kits to diagnose dengue to all healthcare centres under DNCC, so that people can be diagnosed easily and can avail necessary treatments promptly.
There are allegations that our medicine are not effective But the fact is that we provide the medicine which rectified for several time in the libratory.
We have already started cleaning the city canals and rivers after getting the responsibility instantly. So we strongly believe, this cleaning work will be very helpful to reduce the rate of mosquito seeds.
Meanwhile, when we tried to contact with the Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Brigadier General Dr Sarif Ahmed, he couldn’t be reached.
Earlier,Bangladesh experienced a massive dengue outbreak in 2019, when 101,354 people were hospitalized. According to the health authorities, the mosquito-borne disease killed 179 people that year.
However, amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic, mosquito like dengue can still turn out to be a great threat to the people of Bangladesh, especially the residents of Dhaka.
