Even after a year of the Dhaka North City Corporation’s announcement of establishing a laboratory to aid in mosquito control, no visible progress has been seen.
The DNCC is currently utilizing the laboratory facilities of Jahangirnagar University (JU) through a contractual agreement due to a lack of its own lab for identifying mosquito species.
In January 2023, during a visit to Miami-Dade County in Florida, US, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said that the previous methods of mosquito extermination in Dhaka were inadequate.
He expressed his intentions for managerial changes, including raising awareness, establishing labs, and employing new pesticide types to employ more effective methods.
However, the DNCC has continued using the same outdated methods for mosquito control over the past year.
Last year, Bangladesh recorded the highest number of cases and deaths from mosquito-related ailments
DNCC's primary initiative in mosquito control last year involved the introduction of a new insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis serotype israelensis (BTI).
However, this effort ran into criticism when it was discovered that Marshall Agrovet, a contractor company, had fraudulently imported five tons of drugs under the name of a reputable company. DNCC claimed it stopped using this drug after the incident came to light.
Experts have repeatedly recommended the involvement of entomologists in mosquito control, the establishment of laboratories, and expanded field-level work before the dengue season. However, DNCC has fallen behind in implementing these suggestions.
Despite signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jahangirnagar University (JU) for research activities in controlling mosquito-borne diseases in July last year, the DNCC has failed to provide the basic items outlined in the agreement, such as modern microscopes, computers, air conditioning, and lab renovation. This delay has hindered the progress of research and preparation for dengue season.
Entomologist Dr Kabirul Bashar and his team of professors and entomologists from the Department of Zoology of JU were supposed to lead the research. Besides, an Institute of Vector Control Research Centre was planned to be established with the help of the DNCC.
In this regard, Dr Kabirul Bashar said: “The DNCC was supposed to give some basic items to our lab. But after the signing of the agreement, nothing progressed further. If the lab had been established on time, dengue preparations could have been taken before the season.”
No work for entomologists
The DNCC's efforts to recruit entomologists from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have faced challenges, with only three of five appointed individuals joining their positions, and even among those, their duties remain unclear.
A source in the DNCC also said that one of these two people has filed a case over not coming to the DNCC.
When asked what kind of activities the entomologists associated with the DNCC can conduct, Dr Kabirul Bashar said: “We will give them the data that will come from our lab. They will use that data to control mosquitoes. If they work in the lab, I will work in coordination. No problem even if they don’t come. We will all work on the same data.”
DNCC Chief Executive Officer (Additional Secretary) Mir Khairul Alam and DNCC Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury were unavailable for comment on this matter.
The DNCC's public relations officer Maqbool Hossain acknowledged the issue, saying: “The issue of the lab is on our mind. Our CEO Mir Khairul Alam is new. He has already discussed the issue.”