Okaz

BOTH malaria and dengue are considered endemic as they remain in some cities and principalities of the Kingdom, challenging Saudi health managers. Whenever we stop talking about these infectious diseases new cases appear with hospitals crowded with infected patients.

The Health Ministry has been successful in confronting smallpox and poliomyelitis after the two infectious diseases hit thousands of people across the country. Now the question is why it failed in eradicating malaria and dengue?

These diseases have become endemic and kill hundreds of people every year. The disease will disappear in major cities as a result of government’s efforts but continue to affect villages and poor neighborhoods that lack adequate health services.

Is there any relation for this failure to the presence of different agencies involved in fighting these infectious diseases? Health authorities think that it’s the duty of municipalities to make environment clean and destroy mosquitoes to prevent diseases.

Municipalities, on the other hand, complain that they don’t have enough budgetary allocations to get rid of swamps, establish sewage pipelines, floodwater drainage systems and train manpower to eradicate infectious fevers.

They also blame citizens and residents for keeping water tankers open for mosquitoes to become their breeding grounds. Unused swimming pools and toilets are other breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Within hours, these places produce millions of mosquitoes.

We talk day and night about our great achievements in the health sector and believe that our renaissance in the sector is equal to those in advanced countries. We also talk about smart cities. How can we achieve all these when we fail to eradicate dengue and malaria?

We should know that many poor countries were successful in eradicating these diseases as a result of their determination and proper planning. I hope that our authorities would take it as a challenge and apply effective measures soon.