THE average daily hospital admission of patients with dengue, which in the first six days in September doubled the number in the corresponding days of August, suggests a potentially threatening outbreak of the disease and a general failure of the health and local government authorities concerned to control the dengue vector during the monsoon season. Health services data, which are always said to have been inadequate, have recorded the hospital admission of 327 dengue patients on an average a day in the first six days of September while the figure for the corresponding period of August was 145. Records say that at least nine people died of dengue in the first six days of September while the figure for the corresponding period of August was 4 although at least 27 death from dengue was recorded in all in August. Such a situation warrants early efforts of health services and local government authorities in shoring up a number of issues so that the disease does not break out unmanageably. Entomologists fear that the number of dengue infection has increased largely because no mosquito control activities took place amidst the monsoon season. Residents also complain that no such activities have taken place in recent times.
It could be true that the city authorities could not run their mosquito control activities because of the student protests for July that ultimately peaked into a student-mass uprising bringing down the 15 years of authoritarian rule of the Awami League on August 5. But it has already been more than a month since August 5 and people still complain of no mosquito control activities. Health services data show that dengue caused the highest number of death, 55, in Dhaka鈥檚 south city areas followed by a far lower number, only eight, in Dhaka鈥檚 north city area. Other risky places are Chattogram with 12 death, Barishal with 10 death and Khulna with three death. In hospital admission this year until September 6, however, Chattogram tops the list with 4,068, followed by Dhaka鈥檚 south, Dhaka鈥檚 north, Barishal and Khulna. The figures show which areas warrant most efforts in mosquito control. Almost all local elected representatives, mostly from the Awami League, having gone into hiding in the changed political context has certainly harmed mosquito control activities. But the interim government on August 19 appointed administrators to local government institutions and it has also been about a fortnight since then. The mosquito control activities that could help to head off a looming disaster in the days to come should been restarted in full swing by now.
The city authorities say that they are trying to involve local people in running awareness campaigns and are doing the regular larviciding. But what all local government institutions and the government should rather realise that it has already been late and they need to step up efforts. They have the dengue statistics in hand to know where they need to put in efforts. They now need to do the job on the ground.