Dar in great fear over ‘dengue fever’

There is increased fear among some Dar es Salaam city residents mostly those living in flood prone areas over the emergence of dengue fever disease whose prevalence poses a great threat despite measures being undertaken by the government to curb its spread. The disease which has now become the talk of the day in some parts in the city has left many at a crossroad with the majority pleading for the government to take drastic measures as their safety is more at risk. Speaking in an exclusive interview mid this week in different parts in the city, residents living in flood prone areas have expressed their sympathetic fears calling for the government to take drastic measures in order to help them as they are the mostly affected victims of the disease. They have lamented that, have no way to evacuate their home dwellings which are surrounded with stagnant water due to the on-going rains, and that possibly forms the breeding places for mosquitoes causing the disease. Wilson Mniko (60) a resident of Majohe in Ilala district said that, as their areas have been badly affected by rainy water and their structures submerged by water log, they live in fear because of the formation of breeding places for mosquitoes. Agness Wankyo (45) a resident of Kitunda lamented as she look over the situation at her house whose surrounding is full of water from rain. In view of this she has called on the government’s intervention to help lives of the people. Abdallah Ally (50) of Kigogo in Dar es Salaam lamented for those people who are residing in valleys including himself saying that he is at danger as his life poses danger due to the disease, thus calling the government for immediate rescue.  The residents’ call has come hardly three days after the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) announced in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday this week that, it was launching a study to forge techniques of fighting dangue fever. NIMR Director General, Dr Mwele Malecela revealed this in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday this week when she briefed reporters on the status of the viral disease and efforts taken by the governments to combat it. Dr Malecela said the research to be conducted in Dar es Salaam’s three districts will mainly focus on the magnitude of the disease and the characteristics of the Aedes (the mosquito that transmit the disease) including its common breeding areas. She said the research will use samples of people and mosquitoes from each district so as to determine which district is dominated by the Aedes mosquito and the time that they prefer to bite.  According to her, the research will be conducted for a month and the data collected will help improve the techniques of fighting the viral disease. Meanwhile, the National Assembly this week directed the government to provide thorough information on the scale of the fever which has already claimed lives of 3 people in Dar es Salaam including a Doctor of Temeke hospital Gilberet Buberwa. In a bid to stop the spread of the disease, on Friday this week, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadiki directed all three municipal council executives of Temeke, Kinondoni and Ilala to heighten the fight against Dengue Fever, which has affected some 490 people since its outbreak last January in Dar es Salaam region alone. The RC issued directive when he released the current status report to the media – at which he revealed that the three municipalities had since set aside Sh218 million to fight the disease. He said some 940 litres of the spray deodorant Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI), a chemical used to kill the breeding grounds for the mosquito, Aedes which causes the disease, had been distributed at strategic centres across the city, specifically in areas more prone to infection. He added that special information kits had also been sent to heads of schools and colleges, asking them to keep their environs clean. The update by the RC shows that 494 people have been diagnosed with Dengue Fever by last Thursday (May 15) since its outbreak last January, with the Kinondoni at the head of the list (388 cases), Ilala 73 and Temeke 32. Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by a type of a mosquito known as Aedes. The symptoms include as severe joint and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, headache, rash and fever. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. The number of cases of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with between 50 and 528 million people infected yearly. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were figured out in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a global problem since the second World War and is endemic in more than 110 countries.