That little mosquito bite could spell big danger

There is good news coming from the health front with the phase-3 trial of the dengue vaccine likely to begin in August or September this year. While this vaccine has been developed by Panacea Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the one developed by Serum Institute of India has completed its phase 1 trials on 60 adults.

With the Covid pandemic on the wane and the World Health Organisation declaring that it is no longer a global health emergency, it’s the best time for health researchers and institutions to turn their attention to dengue, and way  and means to tackle it. The infection that is caused by the dengue virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito and is prevalent mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. It triggers high fever, bleeding, vomiting and nausea, and could even lead to death from dengue haemorrhagic fever if not taken seriously and treated in time. Ironically, there is no specific line of treatment for the infection as yet, and all that one can do if afflicted by dengue is control the symptoms with medicines like paracetamol.

Statistics say that lakhs of people get infected by dengue every year in India and in some years, the deaths have even crossed 100. The government in Delhi inevitably asks people every year to make sure that dirty water in their pots and coolers is emptied in time to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. In fact, Delhi has been one of the places worst affected by dengue every year. The national capital recorded almost 10,000 cases of the infection in 2021 but its gravity seems to have been lost amid the clamour to fight Covid.

With rains from the South-West Monsoon set to begin in a couple of weeks from now, it’s time to be on our guard against this killer disease. Drainage and sanitary systems in most Indian cities – big and small – are pretty pathetic and hardly ensure the free flow of water leading to water logging – a potential reason for the breeding of mosquitoes.

Karnataka too registers thousands of cases of dengue every year but the number of deaths has been less primarily because of the relatively better health infrastructure we have compared to some of the North Indian states. In April this year, doctors had pointed to a rise in dengue and malaria cases in the state capital and had called for counter measures including keeping the surroundings clean and hygienic. And if cases have gone up in the IT City, it could only be because of the poor drainage facilities, particularly in the newly-added areas of BBMP where civic infrastructure is still pretty poor.

So how can we fight this dreaded ailment? The best way to do this is to ensure that there are no pots and pans with dirty water in the vicinity of our living spaces. Possible water holders should be emptied to avoid stagnation, so there’s no breeding ground for the vector. Nets are an essential particularly during the monsoon months when the number of mosquitoes inevitably increases adding to the risk of dengue and malaria. Awareness programmes should be conducted in educational and government institutions so that children and the general public do not take the disease lightly and make sure they are diagnosed and treated properly in case they get infected. Pressure should be exerted on civic authorities to ensure that the city is hygienic and clean, and fogging and spraying activities are carried out regularly so that cases of dengue are kept to the minimum.

Covid may be over but dengue still lurks around.