It’s monsoon season, and once again, the twin cities are teetering on the edge of a dengue outbreak. Given that recent entomological reports have found an alarming increase in the population of dengue larvae during the monsoon season, urgent measures are required to prevent the situation from worsening significantly. Despite city-level campaigns being run, the numbers show that a lot more needs to be done, and fast.
The warm and humid climate—that is only getting more severe each year—provides a conducive environment for the proliferation of both the Aedes mosquito population and the dengue virus. Therefore, it is essential to adapt and take holistic measures at the government, collective and individual level to ensure dengue prevention and control.
Last week it was reported that 23 patients reported positive in the span of five days, taking the total number of confirmed patients to an alarming figure of 71. Week on week, a consistent increase is being witnessed in the numbers and a surge is expected in the coming weeks if immediate and proactive measures are not employed.
It is imperative that there be regular inspection of surroundings for potential mosquito breeding sites, elimination of standing water, and stagnant containers where Aedes mosquitoes may lay their eggs. It is good to see that teams are conducting field surveillance to identify and address potential breeding sites, and strict measures are being taken in public and private colleges in the twin cities to address the issue.
Elimination of potential breeding spots must be the focus in order to disrupt the mosquito life cycle, and given that this is a yearly occurrence, there really should not be any excuses on the part of the authorities to tackle this issue.