Passing the buck for the dengue crisis won’t help

Seldom does a healthcare system, beset by its already fragile state, have to cope with a prolonged pandemic, as ours has done for the last 16 months, while having to cope with another serious illness simultaneously. The spike in dengue cases has been a double blow at a time when the healthcare system has been completely overwhelmed by Covid-19, particularly in the capital. What is baffling, however, is the fact that dengue has been visiting us with increasing regularity over the last several years, and yet we were inadequately prepared for it.

According to the DGHS, as of August 17, a total of 6,321 patients have been diagnosed with dengue this year, and 221 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals in the country during the 24 hours ending August 16. All but 22 of them are from Dhaka. Thus, in an attempt to justify the inadequate and delayed response of those in charge of public health, the buck is being passed—conveniently, one may add—on to the public.

The adage that prevention is better than cure seems to have been forgotten by the two city administrations of the capital. It seems that the city administrations started their anti-dengue operations later than they should have. And we echo the opinion of the experts that instead of going for timely preventive actions, the operations, which started with fanfare, commenced after the Aedes mosquitoes had ensured the multiplication of their progeny—that is, after their eggs had been hatched and when the cases were on the rise.

Admittedly, every health crisis requires the combined efforts of the public and the authorities. However, there is only so much that individuals on their own can do. A vast swathe of spaces in the city, much of which provide the breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes, are public spaces that only the city administrations can attend to. Evidently, the city corporations have not properly cleaned, sprayed or fogged these areas regularly.

We would hope that the city corporations would be more proactive in fighting the dengue menace before it gets even more dangerous. Certainly, people's participation in anti-dengue measures is necessary and even essential for the sake of their own health. But they should be encouraged to participate—not coerced, through fines—to contribute.