Dengue war in Lanka a farce: ask Fidel Castro

By Sriyani Wijesinghe

Dengue has assumed epidemic proportions. The total number of dengue patients countrywide stands at 21,289, out of which 158 have succumbed to the disease during the first seven months of this year.
Dengue has reached epidemic proportions because of the callous attitude of the people as well as officials responsible in curbing the scourge.

Mosquito coil traders

Fifteen patients out of 656 perished due to dengue way back in 1992. From that year onwards at least 1000 patients have been diagnosed monthly of having contracted the virus, and with every two patients passing away, one has to seriously question whether the anti dengue exercise is really working.
It was in 2009 that this country recorded the highest ever number of dengue patients : 35008. Going by the statistics it has been found that 346 persons perished.
However, health authorities say that the BTI Cuban bacteria will arrive soon, but there is speculation that mosquito coil traders have sabotaged the process of importing the bacteria, and that is why it is being delayed. In spite of the fact that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the health ministry to import the Cuban bacteria nothing has been done so far. According to the health ministry the bacteria is on its way!
The government allocated a sum of 50 million rupees last year to fight dengue but the financial allocation for this year has still not been finalized.

Presidential task force

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena who understood the need to launch a sustained countrywide effort to overcome the spread of dengue has decided to intervene.
Through provincial councils and Grama Seva divisions he took the decision to set in motion the ‘dengue war’ and public health officers began to enlighten the people through a house- to- house campaign.
However, none of these programs have succeeded as the disease has begun to reach epidemic proportions.
It is in this backdrop that the president decided to appoint a presidential task force to eradicate and contain the spread of this killer disease. Meanwhile, the government does not have a system to detect the number of patients who seek treatment at private hospitals.There is the possibility of dengue reaching even more astronomical proportions in the future. Taking the immunization schemes into consideration, there are a few diseases which we have been able to overcome effectively in the recent past.
However, dengue takes its toll on an annual basis. The biggest drawback is that there is neither an immunization scheme nor a permanent cure for it at present.

Combat

One tends to think that health officials are expecting dengue to disappear just like how chickengunya disappeared after a long deadly run.
There is a long delay in the arrival of the BTI bacteria from Cuba to combat the disease.
Health Minister Sirisena, is optimistic that it will arrive in a few days but there is utter confusion among ministry officials as to whether it is prudent to import a bacteria at a cost of millions of dollars, when there is the possibility of spraying locally made BTI bacteria at a lesser cost.
However, there has been no approval granted to health officials by government on using local BTI bacteria.
It is still baffling as to why the government is not keen on providing answers to these questions -- how long are they going to continue in this manner? Meanwhile, there is a fear that more people will succumb to the disease. There are a few countries that have effectively checked the spread of dengue, and it is a mystery as to why these officials are continuing to ignore methods adopted by these other nations.
Cuba is a country that had overcome the dengue menace and brought it under control. For example in 1981 there were 344,205 dengue patients that were reported in that country out of which 158 died. Cuban leader Fidel Castro who understood the gravity of the situation, and took it upon himself, to combat the scourge by using all possible means.
Putting aside political differences the Cuban government and bereaucracy to clean-up all mosquito breeding places countrywide with the Cuban leader announcing an emergency to boot.
Today though there are a reduced number of dengue patients being detected there are no large scale deaths reported from Cuba which speaks volumes as to how they faced this menace and overcame its consequences.
Will Sri Lanka be bold enough to take a page out from the Cuban book? Only time will tell , but by then the horse may have already bolted out of the stables!

Number continues to rise

- Director of the Lady Ridgeway hospital Dr. Mahanama Rajamantri

The time has come to overcome the dengue menace by getting the whole country together. Daily around 70 kids are being brought to our hospital who have been detected with dengue and the number continues to rise. Already around 300 patients are continuing to receive treatment here.
We must teach our children the correct approach from their childhood. This is essential if we are to combat epidemics of the nature of dengue in the long-term. I feel dengue has become an epidemic due to the listless conduct of the public and health officials are also to be blamed for it.

Government is ready

- Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena

Despite the government being ready to go out of its way to eradicate this epidemic from our shores, if the public is not willing to support us it could never succeed. This is my honest opinion.
I like to urge the people to cast aside petty party and other differences and join forces with the government to eradicate this menace from our country.
Instead of waiting for the BTI bacteria, I implore the public to support the government in this endeavour by thinking of the future of their children.

Reached epidemic proportions

- GMOA - President Dr Gishantha Dassanayake

The government is only thinking of combating dengue after the disease reached epidemic proportions. They even go to the extent of putting on ‘different shows’ through the media. They have the least amount of concern to curb this epidemic.
They have to step into this rot and nail it with a solid viable programme.