Mosquito prevention drives

Chikungunya outbreak still remains unchanged since the relevant government entities failed to take measures in this regard

It sounds good that two city corporations of Dhaka finally have started the mosquito prevention drive with launching special larviciding and fogging activities at various places in the capital. For quite a few months, mosquito-borne disease Chikungunya has become an important health concern to the city dwellers. According to a report in this newspaper on Wednesday, for controlling the sudden outbreak of this viral fever that is accompanied by severe pain in joints and muscle, the city corporation authorities have also started mass awareness campaign involving local representatives and different socio-political organisations in respective city areas.

A question arises, why did not the relevant authorities take these measures earlier? Had the drive against mosquito menace been intensified much earlier, the damage stemming from the epidemic could have been avoided. The culture of denial does not pay rather it inflicts a lot of harm. It is not that the relevant authorities did not have funds or required logistic supports. There is an allegation that although the government sanctioned adequate budgetary allocation to prevent the mosquito menace in the capital, there is no major visible headway in this connection as the number of patients in different health centres and hospitals are increasing day by day. The Health Ministry and the Health Department cannot avoid the responsibilities.

The situation remains unchanged since the outbreak of this mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito menace has become a global problem in recent times.  

The enormity of the problem becomes so severe some times that it causes a lot of alarm. Mosquitoes dominate everywhere in the country including the capital city Dhaka. There is no dearth of places filled with garbage and other things for mosquitoes to breed in their thousands. There was a time when the authorities concerned would undertake mosquito eradication programme from time to time much to the relief of the inhabitants of towns and cities. Unfortunately, these days this kind of programames is hardly noticed. Absence of mosquito control programme is taking its toll on the citizens.  

The resurgence of these vector-borne diseases stems from multiple factors. At the core of which is vector control, and there can be no complacency in this aspect. It is therefore important to control breeding and protect against mosquito bites. Regular surveillance and fumigation are the backbone of the prevention practices. The sources of mosquito breeding centres should be identified and stopped immediately. It is the responsibility of the city corporations to undertake mosquito control programme in no time. Generation of mass awareness can help achieve the goal.  

 

Mosquito prevention drives

Chikungunya outbreak still remains unchanged since the relevant government entities failed to take measures in this regard

It sounds good that two city corporations of Dhaka finally have started the mosquito prevention drive with launching special larviciding and fogging activities at various places in the capital. For quite a few months, mosquito-borne disease Chikungunya has become an important health concern to the city dwellers. According to a report in this newspaper on Wednesday, for controlling the sudden outbreak of this viral fever that is accompanied by severe pain in joints and muscle, the city corporation authorities have also started mass awareness campaign involving local representatives and different socio-political organisations in respective city areas. A question arises, why did not the relevant authorities take these measures earlier? Had the drive against mosquito menace been intensified much earlier, the damage stemming from the epidemic could have been avoided. The culture of denial does not pay rather it inflicts a lot of harm. It is not that the relevant authorities did not have funds or required logistic supports. There is an allegation that although the government sanctioned adequate budgetary allocation to prevent the mosquito menace in the capital, there is no major visible headway in this connection as the number of patients in different health centres and hospitals are increasing day by day. The Health Ministry and the Health Department cannot avoid the responsibilities. The situation remains unchanged since the outbreak of this mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito menace has become a global problem in recent times. The enormity of the problem becomes so severe some times that it causes a lot of alarm. Mosquitoes dominate everywhere in the country including the capital city Dhaka. There is no dearth of places filled with garbage and other things for mosquitoes to breed in their thousands. There was a time when the authorities concerned would undertake mosquito eradication programme from time to time much to the relief of the inhabitants of towns and cities. Unfortunately, these days this kind of programames is hardly noticed. Absence of mosquito control programme is taking its toll on the citizens. The resurgence of these vector-borne diseases stems from multiple factors. At the core of which is vector control, and there can be no complacency in this aspect. It is therefore important to control breeding and protect against mosquito bites. Regular surveillance and fumigation are the backbone of the prevention practices. The sources of mosquito breeding centres should be identified and stopped immediately. It is the responsibility of the city corporations to undertake mosquito control programme in no time. Generation of mass awareness can help achieve the goal.