Another reason to be cautious about reopening schools

It is extremely concerning how dengue cases have been on the rise recently. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in the first week of September alone, over 2,000 dengue cases were recorded in the country, raising the total number of people hospitalised with the disease to 12,434 this year. Amid such a scenario, the authorities need to be extremely cautious, especially as schools are scheduled to reopen next week. All school premises need to be properly and regularly cleaned so that students are not vulnerable to the disease.

As this newspaper reported on Wednesday, schools have been actively trying to keep their premises clean and free of Aedes mosquito larvae, following suggestions from the experts. However, not all schools have been successful in maintaining cleanliness, since they have been closed for around a year and a half. In a couple of schools, benches and other items were found to be piled up, with stagnant water floating around, creating the perfect breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

Since schools have been closed for so long, it is not surprising that many of them have failed to maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness. However, before reopening, all school authorities must clean and sanitise their institutions properly—they should ensure that piles of garbage are removed, and keep a keen eye to rid the premises of all stagnant water. But even that might not be enough. The local government authorities have to assist schools in their respective areas through extensive fogging and fumigation drives.

In that regard, the DGHS has recently identified 19 hotspots in Dhaka that are most vulnerable to dengue due to widespread presence of Aedes mosquitoes. The city corporation authorities can begin their fumigation drives with a special focus on these areas. They can also coordinate with the authorities of schools in those areas as well as other high-risk places to ensure that the school premises are properly fumigated and ready for reopening.   We understand that both the school authorities and state actors have their hands full when it comes to reopening schools due to the threat of Covid-19. But they must also prepare for the threat of dengue. The earlier they make preparations to deal with it, the better and easier it will be later on. For the sake of children's safety, this should be done with great care. We can't be worrying about the threats of Covid-19 and dengue viruses at the same time.