Amidst all the buzz generated by the never-ending churn of the wheels of political administration, one major development that has not occupied public discourse as much as it should have is slowly making its unwelcome presence felt. We refer to the statewide increase in the number of dengue cases this year, which stands at more than 17000 so far. We are told that the situation is not something to be worried about, as the number of cases has been showing a declining trend over the last three years. Given that the principal reason for the scourge, breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant water, is not something that cannot be surmounted, it is time to take stock of how much progress has been made in addressing this public health issue in a meaningful manner.
Official data released by the state’s Health Department just as this article is being written show figures of 56863 cases in 2023, then 46971 in 2024 and 25585 in 2025. It must be noted here these are at a wide variance from the numbers reported on the portal of the Union Health Ministry’s National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases, which has reported figures of 29121, 27378 and 23407 respectively. It has been clarified that the national portal has taken into account only cases confirmed by NS1/IgM (Non-Structural Protein 1 and Immunoglobulin M) tests and not rapid diagnostic tests, leading to the variance and seeking to portray the higher numbers as a mark of better surveillance and reporting.
Whatever be the reporting yardsticks and the outcome of the number-crunching, it remains an undeniable fact that despite recurring widespread outbreaks on a periodic basis in the last 15 years or so, there has been no substantial change for the good in environmental sanitation, an essential precondition for controlling the outbreak of the disease. This points to a systemic failure both at an individualistic and a societal level, raising questions of whether there has been any consistent attempt at addressing the issue from a long-term perspective. The civic administration can point to its mass cleaning initiatives including fogging, door to door checks, fining offenders, etc. but all these are more reactive rather than proactive measures.
Research has clarified that the vector responsible for the disease can breed not only in clean water but also in water sprinkled with dust or mud which remains stagnant. At a household level, the conditions which promote breeding necessitates behavioural change and can be addressed only by sustained awareness campaigns. But it also brings into focus the way we deal with another fertile breeding ground, viz., waterlogging on our roads. Despite increased outlays on stormwater drains in the recent past, we have seen sustained waterlogging in various parts of the city following rainfall episodes. Roads in some part of the city or the other are always under a perpetual state of repair owing to various reasons, and failure to re-lay them properly creates conditions conducive for water to stagnate. Besides dengue, it also exposes the public to issues such as malaria and viral infections. Clogging of drain inlets and waterways with plastic waste and construction debris continues unabated, with no amount of fining proving to be a deterrent.
We are just about a month away from the start of the northeast monsoon, which will bring along conditions conducive for easy spread of the disease. It is time for the administrators to tighten the vigil and ensure that measures are in place to control widespread outbreaks. While things may get easier overall with respect to the management of dengue in the future, with reports stating that the first vaccine maybe available in our country in the first half of 2027, it must be remembered that it cannot obviate a basic necessity for a better quality of life, viz., keeping our surroundings clean. And this is something that is purely in our hands.