Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed its disappointment over the efforts of two city corporations to prevent dengue in Dhaka.
TIB also urged for the formulation and implementation of an integrated roadmap by sending again the 15-point recommendations based on the research report titled "Challenges of good governance and ways to overcome Aedes mosquito control in Dhaka city" published on September 25, 2019 to all stakeholders including Dhaka North and South City Corporation.
The organisation said this in a media statement on Saturday.
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Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said, "The situation may be dire, there were such warnings, but the initiative of the two city corporations to prevent dengue in the capital is disappointing."
Besides, the authorities concerned did not have any long-term planning and coordinated efforts to prevent dengue by giving due importance to the above-mentioned research-based policy briefs, involving experts in the respective sectors, he added.
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The Executive Director of TIB said, "The two City Corporations should take coordinated action with the Health Department by ensuring the use of all other methods to control mosquitoes beyond profit-based pesticide dependence. In the light of the experience of the Covid crisis, advisory panels should be formed involving experts from the respective sectors and activities should be conducted regularly according to their suggestions with due importance. A year-round management plan should be formulated and implemented along with increasing the use of environmentally friendly methods of mosquito control."
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Besides, it is important to increase public awareness about Aedes mosquito and its larvae, dengue disease and quick treatment through all possible means including social media.
Apart from that, to ensure public involvement as a part of coordinated activities for mosquito control, proper training measures should be taken on an urgent basis, including the formation of area-based volunteer teams consisting of the relevant public representatives.
In this case, the authorities can involve interested voluntary organizations including Red Crescent volunteers.
Dengue is spreading all over the country and the number of fatalities is increasing. Therefore, by declaring it as an urgent public health crisis, TIB Executive Director said, "There is an urgent need to identify and resolve the lack of capacity in the city corporations and municipalities outside Dhaka to eradicate mosquitoes." As well as public awareness and involvement in dengue prevention should be significantly increased.
At the same time, TIB demanded to clarify the responsibilities and duties of all the implementing organizations in order to prevent such a situation from happening again in the future, by involving all the relevant parties including the mentioned expert panel, to formulate strategies and action plans for the control of Aedes mosquitoes and other mosquitoes at the national level.