EDITORIAL - Epidemic or outbreak? What's in a name? Just fight dengue!
There seems to be some great but needless debate on whether or not a dengue epidemic or dengue outbreak should be officially declared. But what is in a name? However it is called, the fact of the matter is that dengue is here and it is affecting people by the thousands.
Instead of wasting time debating about nomenclatures, the better thing for government to do is address the problem with everything that works in its arsenal. Unfortunately, even that is not about to happen soon.
And that is because aside from debating about names, the government is also debating over what methods to use in addressing the problem. Like we said, the prudent thing to do would be to fight the disease with whatever works.
But even in such a simple and practical matter, the government just cannot seem to get its act together. It is as if all government employees working in whatever government bureau or department have suddenly become members of some debating club or whatever.
Can you imagine that while the dengue toll continues to mount, the government is still debating on whether to use fogging or misting or just stick to cleaning surroundings every four o'clock in the afternoon?
If fogging works, use it to the degree that it works. If misting works, then employ it under similar circumstances. If both these methods pose some dangers because of their use of chemicals, then the dangers must be weighed against the urgency of the need to lick dengue.
But numbers do not lie, and as the reality on the ground shows, the mere cleaning up of surroundings has not worked, and will not work. Fighting dengue needs a multi-pronged approach. It is not enough to clean. If controlled fogging and misting will help do it, then do it as well.
Government functionaries, especially our health officials, must learn to make snap decisions because when it comes to diseases, the public simply does not enjoy the luxury of time. While the great debates rage on, the dengue mosquitoes are claiming more and more victims.
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