The High Court asked the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh to take initiative to establish a vector control research centre to combat infections caused by the Aedes mosquito bites.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil made the call at its full verdict, released last week, in a public interest litigation that sought directives to get air passengers respite from mosquito bites at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The bench on August 13, 2023 disposed of the writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Tanvir Ahmed in 2019, stating that the verdict would follow with observations to be given later in full verdict.

A record number of 1,705 people died and 3. 21 lakh people were hospitalised with dengue fever in 2023, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The directorate reported death of 16 people from the disease with diagnosis of 1,260 people till February 16 this year.

‘We are also observing every day that a huge number of citizens are suffering from dengue virus, particularly, in the rainy season a good number of mortality,’ the court observed in the full verdict, adding, ‘Therefore, this sort of institution is necessary now being a demand of time.’

The verdict said, ‘In the circumstance, the respondent 1 [the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh] shall consider this observation to establish a VCRC for the betterment of the citizen at large.’

Having referred to an opinion of Jahangirnagar University zoology professor Kabirul Bashar, the court emphasised the need for establishment of a vector control research centre, VCRC in short.

The court also asked the authorities of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the Dhaka North City Corporation to keep vigilant in controlling the mosquito in the airport as per recommendations and suggestions made by the surveillance committee formed by the civil aviation authority to control mosquito on the airport premises.

The court treated the writ petition as a ‘continuing mandamus’ allowing any aggrieved person to appear before it with the ongoing severity of mosquito menace all over the country.

Experts suggested the Ultra-Low Volume, or ULV space spray and the residual spray as effective means to rapidly control the menace.

The court quoted the expert opinions and stated that there are two long canals inside the airport and some ponds also in which mosquito was found.

Having referred to the experts, the verdict further stated that these places must be cleaned and guppy fish or bio-pesticides have to be released there, to eliminate mosquito larvae.

The verdict says, ‘There were several breeding places for Aedes or culex mosquito in and around the airport and these breeding places should be removed and managed.’

‘We found adults and larvae half kilometre around the airport and these should be managed by the city corporation and the Bangladesh Air Force,’ the verdict said, quoting the opinions of the experts.

The High Court earlier on several occasions expressed annoyance over the civil aviation authority’s inadequate measures in controlling mosquito on the airport premises.