In for a double whammy?
It is raining in some parts of the country, and the probability of precipitation is high, elsewhere, according to media reports. Welcome as this news may be for those troubled by the sweltering weather, rains are likely to worsen their woes.
Pluvial periods are usually followed by dengue outbreaks. Thousands of dengue cases have already been reported from different parts of the country. The situation will take a turn for the worse unless precautions are taken urgently. Covid-19 and dengue can be a deadly combination, and tackling both of them simultaneously will be a gargantuan task that the country may not be equal to. Hence the need to take all precautions to avert a disastrous situation!
The number of Covid-19 infections may not be high, but health workers, the armed forces personnel, the police, the Civil Defence Force members and all others, engaged in battling the virus, are already overworked. They are in this predicament mainly because most people don’t act responsibly. The success of their anti-Covid-19 operations hinges on their ability to stay focussed on detecting infections and curbing the spread of the elusive germ. The outbreak of another deadly disease is the last thing the country needs, at this juncture.
Mosquitoes breed mostly at construction sites, where water collects, as is public knowledge. All these places have remained closed for weeks, and they will become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, come rains. The police have realised this danger, according to a news report we publish, today. There is a pressing need for countrywide cleaning campaigns to prevent a possible dengue outbreak, but it is difficult to conduct them in the most populous parts of the country, especially the urban areas of the Western Province, owing to the ongoing lockdowns and curfew. The highest number of dengue cases is usually reported from Colombo and its suburbs.
Most public and private sector institutions remain closed, and mosquito breeding places have been found in some of them. Who will take the responsibility for eliminating them? It has been found that rainwater collects in places like schools, and those who are in the immediate vicinity thereof are in danger of being afflicted with dengue.
It may be possible to conduct dengue eradication programmes at the household level in spite of lockdowns and curfew. This is something that will help those who are reportedly having lockdown blues to keep themselves occupied; they can look out for mosquito breeding places in and around their houses and destroy them.
The incidence of domestic violence is reportedly on the rise owing to the frustration of some aggressive males confined indoors. They are said to have spent the money, given by the government to buy essentials, on firewater. Let these shameless characters be urged to spare their poor wives and children and take it out on mosquitoes and, thereby, be of some use to society. Other family members can join them while following health guidelines.
The public should come forward to eradicate mosquito breeding places without waiting for the health authorities to do so. This, they can do without violating the health guidelines meant for Covid-19 prevention. Health workers are up to their ears in work, risking as they do their dear lives in the battle against coronavirus, and it is not fair to shift the onus for preventing dengue as well to them.
Unless the people get their act together, they are bound to face a double whammy. They will have only themselves to blame, in such an eventuality.
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