DPH Begins Programme to Combat Mosquitoes

Department of Public Health (DPH) has issued a statement asking all Maldivians to assist them in destroying mosquito breeding grounds throughout the country.

The DPH’s request is a vital component of its new programme initiated to combat several mosquito-borne diseases, which have recently attacked the county. These include fever, Dengue fever and Chikungunya.

In order to combat the diseases effectively, the department says wider participation is needed from the general public. Dr Mohamed Jamsheed, Director of DPH, has urged everyone to take part in the endeavour.

In an interview with Hamma Daily Jamsheed said: “The present outbreak has reached dangerous proportions in Raa, Meem and Kaaf Atolls. Therefore we are giving priority to controlling the mosquitoes in these atolls.”

Jamsheed said that many Maldivians mistakenly believe that the only way to control mosquitoes is by spraying disinfectants. But this, he said, is the last thing required for destroying breeding grounds.

The most important action, as DPH previously advocated, is to drain every possible entity that harbours stating water, as they are favourable for mosquito breeding.

The Chikungunya outbreak became politicised when the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) published a report on the outbreak, which blamed the government for not taking the disease seriously.

MDP published its report after many islanders in the atolls claimed that the authorities had done little to address the outbreak initially.

Some analysts began expressing fears that DPH and the Health Ministry were “playing down” the incident so that it would not have negative consequences for the country’s tourism industry.

But soon the effects of Chikungunya and the other mosquito-borne diseases were too serious for anyone not to notice.

In the days before the New Year, Hospitals and health post were reportedly packed across the country with patients who had been diagnosed with Chikungunya. One such hospital, IGMH, in Male’, was so full that it could not admit further patients.

An official from DPH said that as of December 19, 135 Maldivians had been suspected of being infected with Chikungunya, which had been blamed for deaths in both Male’ and some Atolls.

Even Finance Minister, Gasim Ibrahim, was admitted to ADK Hospital with the virus.

Chikungunya is generally not fatal. However, last year, 200 deaths were associated with the disease on Reunion Island and India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh). The European Network for Diagnostics of “Imported” Viral Diseases (ENIVD) claims that new phylogenetic variants of virus, which are fatal, have also been identified on Reunion.

According to recent reports, the numbers of Maldivians in Meem Atoll who have caught the fever are highest in Dhiggaru, Maduvvari and Naalaafushi. The highest number of people who have caught Chikungunya and dengue are presently found in Raa Atoll.