A yearly scourge for Bangladesh, the looming threat of dengue must not be ignored. With the rainy season still on the horizon, it is imperative that measures start being taken now to stop the population of the dengue-carrying aedes mosquito from swelling.
While the authorities concerned always carry out drives and mark areas of interest in order to tackle this disease, the drives themselves have to be iterated upon to take population control into account -- what we need is to find a permanent solution to the dengue problem by carrying out drives across all neighbourhoods and ensuring that mosquitoes which carry the disease are eradicated.
To that end, it is heartening to know that the government is cognizant of the increasing number of patients diagnosed with dengue, as the local government rural development and cooperatives minister has announced various preventative measures to drastically cut down the number of patients in the coming monsoon season.
However, we must also remember that a significant part of the problem is that far too many continue to be unaware of the protocol when it comes to preventing disease-carrying mosquitoes from laying eggs. Community action is, therefore, imperative by engaging community leaders and ensuring that awareness, especially within communities which are mostly neglected.
Such concerted efforts, led equally by the authorities and citizens alike, must become the blueprint moving forward in tackling dengue for the future.
We cannot allow dengue to continue plaguing our nation any longer. A long-term action plan is absolutely important for us when it comes to eradicating this devastating disease.
