Around this time every year, hospitals in Dhaka get crowded, packs of saline start disappearing from pharmacy shelves, and desperation to get blood for loved ones puts people in despair. So, why is it that the government still hasn't learnt to take necessary steps to fight the health crisis brought on by dengue?

When there are clear examples set by other countries of what to do to prevent such a situation, why does the administration in our country not follow them? We even have our own experts repeatedly giving warnings ahead of the dengue season, and every year, they fall on deaf ears. Instead of effective actions, all we get are some excuses, or the bare minimum, like fogging, which has proven to be ineffective.

I can only hope that next year, the same events won't repeat, but hope is all I have, because the trend predicts that the people will yet again become helpless in the face of this disease.

Sayem Ahmed

Banasree, Dhaka