It's Not Rocket Science. Just Mosquito Medicine

Can the formidable scientific establishment not halt the march of deadly dengue fever? Archana Mishra on the search for remedies

- Archana Mishra

Hundreds succumb to the deadly dengue virus each year. this is the heart-wrenching story that has its origin in the deplorable state of the Indian healthcare sector. While the deaths of two boys in Delhi caught the nation’s attention, what goes unreported is the significant spread of the disease in rural areas due to socio-economic and environmental changes.

Despite having 10 major institutes to tackle the incidence of dengue fever, why is the nation being called the epicentre of the disease? If one accepts the wisdom of the adage that prevention is better than cure, shouldn’t there be a solution in sight?

It is time to put the government in the dock as to what is the framework to tackle dengue. Are clinical guidelines sufficient to curb the disease? Why doesn’t the country have a specific plan like the malaria eradication programme to find a permanent cure or vaccine for dengue?

The 10 Centre-run institutes in the country deal with the epidemiology, clinical studies, diagnosis, vector control and vaccine research. they are as follows:

National Institute of Virology, Pune, that provides anti-viral and diagnostic kits;

International Centre For Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) that does research on vaccines;

National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata focussing on diagnosis;

National Centre for Disease Control for Epidemiology;

All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi for diagnosis and epidemiology;

Vector Control Research Centre in Puducherry to conduct studies on vector control;

The Sanjay Gandhi post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow that does clinical studies;

The post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chandigarh;

Defence Research and Development and Establishment in Gwalior for vector control;

Institute of preventive Medicine, Hyderabad working on epidemiology.