December is supposed to be a month with a biting cold in Bangladesh, bringing down the Aedes mosquito population substantially. But the country reported over 100 dengue patients on Thursday with 31.2 degrees Celsius of temperature in Dhaka.
What is actually behind the dengue prevalence in Dhaka at this time of the year? Experts think Bangladesh is bearing the brunt of global warming.
They attribute the unusually high dengue cases during the dry season, mainly in Dhaka, to the prolonged rainy season, sporadic rainfall, and high humidity and temperature, Aedes mosquitoes' reproductive and behavioural changes caused by climate change and lack of people’s awareness and poor controlling measures by the two city corporations of the capital.
Also read: Climate change making dengue an annual affair in Bangladesh: Experts
They also said the climate conditions of Bangladesh are becoming more favourable for the Aedes mosquitos to prevail in all seasons with high or low intensity mainly for the increase in temperature and breeding sources.
The analysts emphasize the need for modernizing the mosquito controlling measures and carrying on separate drives to contain the Aedes and Culex mosquitoes in all seasons as dengue has become endemic in Bangladesh.