THE dengue menace is lurking around the corner. Since January, at least 39 people have died of dengue and 3,150 people have been affected by this dengue fever. During festivals, as the prices of all essentials increase, so does the suffering. The threat of infectious diseases to public health increases too.听Dengue is a serious and increasingly deadly disease. On the one hand, the onset of the rainy season creates a breeding ground for the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito.
Preparations for Eid-ul-Azha, the biggest festival for Muslims, have started. Animal sacrifice is the most important aspect of this religious festival. Farmers in our country work tirelessly throughout the year to market their beloved cattle and goats in the hope of making some profit. There are cow markets in every region of the country. Along with these markets, mosquito breeding sites are increasing across the country. If water sources and supplies are not properly managed in the cattle markets and elsewhere, not only the Aedes mosquitoes but also the most annoying Culex mosquitoes are likely to increase exponentially.
The farmers, who bring their cattle to the market, and the market managers, while eyeing profits, often forget to think about where the water has accumulated around them and where the garbage has accumulated and, thus, create the breeding grounds of mosquitoes and cause great damage to the environment.
Therefore, the lessee or the person in charge of the cattle market must take the matter very seriously and ensure the necessary management. Farmers from remote areas come to Dhaka, sell their cattle, walk them to various residential areas and return to the area after selling their animals. In this way, infected mosquitoes or mosquito eggs spread very easily to the remote areas of the city.
Once infected mosquitoes enter an area and infect other uninfected mosquitoes in that area, the situation becomes even more dire. On the other hand, the families who leave the city and go to the village to celebrate Eid with their dear and near ones are often negligent about the potential threat that their locked house can become a factory of Aedes mosquitoes due to their carelessness. Because there is a long holiday this Eid 鈥� those who have taken a leave for June 19鈥�20 will get more than one week of leave 鈥� Aedes mosquitoes can easily hatch eggs, pass through the larval and pupal stages, and transform into adult mosquitoes.
Therefore, before locking the house, make sure that all water sources are shut off and proper measures have been taken to keep all water containers dry. If there is any source of water on the roof, then proper measures must be taken or the necessary personnel must be appointed. Construction workers must eliminate all sources of water accumulation on the construction site before going on vacation or assign the responsibility to a competent person. If drainage is not possible, regular adulticide and larvicide applications must be arranged. Bathroom commode lids should be kept closed. All containers should be kept upside down. After washing the car in the garage, it must be dried before leaving the garage. Those who keep cows or goats in the garage for sacrifice must be careful not to leave water in any way.
Now let us talk about the condition after slaughtering the sacrificial animal. The magnificence of sacrifice will really emerge only when any activity related to sacrifice does not become a cause of suffering for man or any living being. Therefore, the main purpose of sacrifice is to achieve the satisfaction of Allah, and to do justice to all living beings is the order of Allah. Therefore, it is important to take measures so that no kind of disease can spread from this waste. Sacrificial waste can be a major factor in increasing soil fertility and productivity. But for that, we need proper and scientific management.
Whether it is a village or a city, proper waste management must be ensured. It cannot be transformed into a source of organisms or their vectors. Both mosquitoes and flies will breed in areas contaminated with this waste. Especially the Culex mosquito is a threat to the environment. The adverse effects of contamination on other vectors are also widespread.听
We understand that greed, lust, envy, selfishness and condemnation of others are just ugly things. It is never for the good of man. Therefore, sacrificing and surrendering oneself to the work of the great creator is an excellent step to success and reaching the highest goal.
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Professor Dr Md Golam Sharower is professor and head of entomology, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine.
