An unhealthy trend

Spike in vector-borne diseases points to governance failure

The onset of vector-borne diseases, such as chikungunya, dengue, malaria and others, in many parts of the country much before the usual time this year is a clear indication of the health authorities’ failure to take necessary preventive action. Usually, such diseases flare up during the rainy season due to conditions favourable for the proliferation of mosquitoes and other vectors. The worst hit, as usual, are the major urban centres. Delhi alone has witnessed 92 confirmed cases of chikungunya and dengue, with 38 deaths, since January though the peak phase is yet to come. Little wonder, therefore, that the Delhi High Court had to intervene and slam the government and civic bodies on Monday for not taking any step to stave off these diseases. If the incidence of diseases continues to soar at the present rate, the current year may end up being worse than 2016 when the country experienced the severest-ever chikungunya epidemic, with Delhi alone reporting 12,221 cases. 

Epidemiologists attribute the premature disease explosion to poor sanitation, careless construction activity, sloppy upkeep of overhead tanks and other water containers, and inefficient solid waste management apart from the virtual collapse of the mosquito control programme. What has further vitiated the country’s health profile this time is the simultaneous outbreak of an equally dreadful malady, swine flu (H1N1). Its country-wide tally this year has already exceeded 8,650, with 346 deaths. This, significantly, is five times the total confirmed cases in the whole of last year. Such apathy towards a highly contagious disease, which switches from animals to humans and vice versa and can disseminate through direct contact with saliva and mucus secretions of the affected persons, can prove costly. Mercifully, the strain of H1N1 virus currently in circulation, A(H1N1)pdm09, is relatively milder than some of its more virulent forms. Yet, the way it is spreading unhindered across the country seems rather ominous. Hardly any effort seems under way to protect at least those living in risk-prone areas from this ailment with the use of anti-viral drugs such as Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir, which are available aplenty. These drugs not only shorten the duration and severity of the illness but also serve as virtual vaccines.

In the case of vector-borne diseases, what is generally disregarded is the fact that fogging, the most commonly used method to control mosquitoes, is the least effective. It kills only the adults without curbing breeding, which holds the key to containing mosquito population. Luckily, several other biological and environmentally safe means are now available to manage mosquitoes. Some species of fishes are known to feed on the larvae of the disease-spreading mosquitoes. These should be multiplied and introduced in water bodies where mosquitoes generally breed. China is reportedly using genetically modified male mosquitoes which can kill the females by passing on a killer toxin to them during copulation. The alternative systems of medicines, such as Ayurveda and homeopathy, also claim to have medicines that can prevent as well as cure these ailments. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has announced the development a drug called “AYUSH PJ7” that can control dengue. Such potions, being more affordable as also accessible for the common man, need to be promoted to keep vector-borne diseases under check.