Striking rich and poor, dengue ravages India more than any other country.
The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.
ContributeImage Credit: Cbenjasuwan / Shutterstock.com
As the current dengue epidemic in Delhi and other urban areas of India such as Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore indicates, a once-obscure disease of poor neighbourhoods has become a great leveller, affecting and scaring both rich and poor and laying bare the infirmities of public healthcare.
The Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG), the central government’s auditor, has ordered an audit of Delhi’s handling of the epidemic as it prepares to analyse the preparedness in other states hit by dengue.Health experts contend that very little has been learnt despite annual dengue epidemics striking with almost clockwork precision.
The world’s fastest-spreading tropical disease struck Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khanearlier this year, one of the high-profile patients of the mosquito-borne virus that resides in the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
The mosquito has invaded Mumbai’s toniest areas, Malabar Hills and Juhu. Many public figures, such as actors Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor and Jeetendra, were issued notices after mosquito breeding sites were found in their homes and gardens.
Dengue is not new to India, but there has been a sharp rise in dengue cases over the past two decades, with a 50% increase over 2014, the rich being hit as hard as the poor and rural areas increasingly being affected.
Striking rich and poor, dengue ravages India more than any other country
“Now you can find dengue-causing mosquitoes even in posh buildings, but people there do not allow (municipal corporation) workers to come and spray inside,” said Shantabai (she uses only one name), a domestic worker in Pune.
Poor research, late prevention, flawed implementation, a shortage of specialists and limited community involvement hinders India’s dengue-control programme.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, the World Health Organisation included dengue in its list of important vector-borne diseases that need to be controlled on a priority basis in 2014. (1)
India had 33 million apparent dengue cases and 100 million asymptomatic infections every year, more than any other country, reported a recent Oxford University study. (2)
Source: Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (2009, 2012,2015) National Health Profile. Government of India
Source: Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (2009, 2012,2015) National Health Profile. Government of India
State-wise dengue reporting shows that cases have doubled this year over last.
The most affected states (with dengue cases above 1,500), according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), include Delhi (the highest number of dengue cases recorded), followed by Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh.
Although studies have shown a high occurrence of dengue in the Indian subcontinent, only a fraction of clinically apparent cases is diagnosed and reported; the true burden of the disease remains uncertain. (3)
Very few studies have attempted to measure the extent of transmission through the population. (4)
What’s changed over the past two decades
Are vaccines the answer?
Blocking the channel of transmission by improved prevention measures against the Aedesmosquito and better community awareness measures is a more sensible option. (1)
India could learn from other countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia that have successfully kept dengue at bay.
—————-
References
General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.
Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?