Spread of chikungunya
Civic apathy blame
Apathy of the health department and Dhaka South and North city corporations is responsible for the massive outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease that causes joint pain for a long period, green activists said yesterday (Thursday). Referring to a recent study by the health department, the green activists said the breeding places of the aedes mosquito in the city have increased 2.5 times compared to the previous period.
Chikungunya has spread in 60 countries, including Bangladesh, they noted. Were worried about the increase in the number of aedes mosquitoes. The health of the city dwellers is at risk due to chikungunya and dengue, this being the rainy season, Abdus Sobhan, general secretary of Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA), told this correspondent. A large number of people all over the country are suffering from chikungunya, he said.
He urged the health minister to take measures, in coordination with the mayors of Dhaka North and South, to prevent the further spread of chikungunya.
Normally, the rainy season is the time for a dengue outbreak in Bangladesh. Without further delay, people should be made aware of how to prevent chikungunya and dengue, Sobhan said.
Both the city corporations have to take initiatives to clean the city and remove abandoned plastic bottles and coconut shells, breeding places of the aedes mosquito, he observed.
Chikungunya is a viral disease, he said.
This mosquito normally bites people at dawn or in the evening. Although the doctors have said that there is no threat to life from chikungunya, there is panic among the people, he added.
He said the increase in mosquito-borne diseases can be attributed to climate change and high temperatures.
Weve to take up schemes to save our lives. Large trees have to be planted. Rivers, wetlands and other waterbodies have to be freed from encroachment and maintained; dredging has to be carried out so that these can carry more water. This, in turn, will increase the groundwater level and prepare us to face the phenomenon of climate change, he observed.
Annisul Huq, mayor of the Dhaka North City Corporation, told this correspondent that they have taken steps, including spraying of insecticide, to destroy the breeding places of the aedes mosquito.
He emphasised that awareness about chikungunya must be created among city dwellers.
We are also cleaning the city on a regular basis. Besides, sanitary inspectors have been told to remove discarded plastic containers and coconut shells, he said.
Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Syed Khokon said that efforts to check the spread of the disease in Dhaka are on. The two mayors said they have taken up several schemes to destroy the aedes mosquito, which breeds in clean and stagnant water in and around houses particularly in discarded plastic containers, coconut shells and abandoned tyres. The two city corporations are spraying anti-larval chemicals to destroy mosquitoes.
Besides, they have launched loudspeaker campaigns to create awareness among people regarding the chikungunya virus and their vectors.
