JOIN USBengalureans should have been dancing in the rain after that scorching summer heat. But no, the monsoon has left them in cesspools of muck, all set to unleash a zillion mosquitoes. The specter of deadly diseases looms large over the city, yet again!
The dreaded Dengue has already claimed its first lives. Gripped by the fear of falling prey to communicable diseases of every kind, the citizens find themselves in a tight corner. Desperate, they look up to the BBMP, but find nothing beyond assurances.
In pathetic shape, the city’s drainage infrastructure has left storm water stagnating everywhere. That’s perfect for the mosquitoes to breed, spread diseases and death. The Palike claims they spray medicines to prevent breeding even if residents haven’t seen them do so!
This is an annual, recurring affair. Lessons should have been learnt and course correction set in place. But every year, the civic agency has the same complaint: Severe shortage of manpower. Result: Source reduction measures of these diseases remain poorly planned and executed.
Alarming rise
There is no time to lose. Doctors across the city are reporting an alarming rise in Dengue cases, much earlier than the disease’s onset last year. The unresolved garbage crisis—read ‘uncleared muck mixed with rainwater’—has added a dangerous twist to the issue, as a senior Victoria hospital doctor put it.
BBMP says all efforts are on to educate the masses. But shortage of health inspectors has made it tough for the civic body to keep a tab on the mosquito menace in several localities.
In several of the city’s 198 Palike wards, not even a single health inspector is on the rolls. Here’s why: Most of the existing posts of over 130 junior and 30 senior inspectors are lying vacant. There is no sense of urgency in filling up those.
Confronted with this reality, BBMP health officer Manoranjana Hegde points out that the source reduction activities are on in several parts of the City.
On the directions of former minister for health and family welfare, UT Khader, a cleanliness awareness drive was organized in slums, low lying areas and bus stops across the City, says the officer.
No fogging
But has that made any difference on the ground? Here’s a Rajajinagar resident, Kantha J, echoing voices from across the City: “My brother had Dengue and was hospitalised for over two weeks. We had taken measures against mosquito menace in our houses. But I didn’t see any fogging by BBMP in our area.”
Last year too, inadequate fogging was a common grouse among residents of several areas. If a concerted, multi-agency effort is not launched immediately, things could get totally out of control, warn health specialists.
There is another problem of numbers. A uniform Dengue reporting mechanism is yet to take shape despite big differences in the way government and private laboratories and hospitals test patients. Official figures are always shown as lower, although patients with Dengue-like symptoms throng hospitals.
Platelet counts
But the official figures themselves are scary. In the last one month alone, over 80 cases have been reported. State-wide, that figure has gone well past 400.
If left unattended, Dengue could turn fatal quickly. Doctors attribute it to the sharp fall in blood platelet count. The normal platelet count of 1.5 lakh to 4 lakh per micro litre of blood slips in a Dengue patient. Rules are clear that fresh platelets have to be transfused if the count falls below 10,000.
Health practitioners also warn of a more virulent form called the Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). The platelet count drops much faster, quickly slipping to below 2,000 levels. The patient can then be saved only through transfusion, a costly and time-consuming affair.
Mobile App to combat Dengue
A mobile App called ‘India Fights Dengue’ developed by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is now available to keep a tab on the dreaded disease.
Launched in April, the android App offers data on Dengue, how to prevent it, Do’s & Don’ts, where to go for help etc. It also has a link to play a Dengue Mosquito game and a Video in which Munna Bhai explains about Dengue and source reduction activities. Citizens could also see messages to be broadcast from the Ministry/NVBDCP.
The App also works as a citizen interface, where communities can report Dengue Larvae breeding by uploading a picture and location of the site.