That was the first time when I heard about Dengue. Dengue was considered a serious threat and reports had claimed loss of several lives.
August to November is generally considered the dengue season. This is the new monsoon fever of India.
The dengue mosquito breeds in stagnant water in open drains, water stored in sources like air coolers, bathrooms and kitchen. The opportunities in our cities are plenty for dengue mosquitoes to breed and spread the virus.
I came across two infected cases in the early days of dengue. They seemed to be at the receiving end, lost, scared and sick.
Dengue has now become a seasonal occurrence as though people welcome it.
This happened couple of years back. I had stepped into my office on a Monday morning to meet a colleague who had returned after two weeks of dengue fever. The way he described his dengue ordeal was as if he wanted to get dengue and a delightful affair.
There was another one describing his dengue experience. It was 5:00 in the evening and his fever had shot up. He phoned his brother and threw tantrums. The poor brother had to navigate his car through the long and arduous stretches of Bengaluru evening traffic jams to drive him to the hospital. It took two hours to reach the hospital. He described the moments in the car as hilarious and how his panic-stricken brother had to put up with his tantrums and the Bengaluru traffic.
The other day I was attending a conference call from the comfort of my home speaking to someone in my office. He thanked me at the end of the call and said he was leaving office early as he was recovering from dengue fever. He sounded like a happy kid heading home after early let off from the school.
Each year I invariably meet dengue victims returning after a brief period of illness. Dengue has become a routine.
The dengue mosquito also has a star status. Robot, our superstar Rajinikant’s film, has an exclusive scene with a mosquito called dengue Lakshmi. The scenes are pure genius as Chitti the robot goes to catch dengue Lakshmi who bit the heroine. The dialogue between the swarm of talkative mosquitoes including dengue Lakshmi is hilariously detailed.
The BBMP (a.k.a Bengaluru corporation) from its part seems to be riding the dengue wave through its inaction and piling garbage crisis.
Our own city will soon become a holiday spot and a major tourist attraction for the dengue mosquito brigade.
baladrishti 