Dengue larvae hunt, Barishal

About this task

In the Barishal division, dengue has become a big problem outside Dhaka too. Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean standing water: flower pot trays, old tyres, coconut shells, roof corners, water on building sites. The team splits into pairs and, with the residents’ consent, goes house to house emptying and turning these over, and asks each home to check once a week.

Why it matters

Dengue is now a yearly danger in Bangladesh; 2023 saw a record number of deaths. More effective than spraying is leaving nowhere for the mosquito to breed, and only the people of each home can do that.

What changes after

Standing water emptied in a hundred homes; a list of where larvae were found most; every home knows what to check weekly.

Who can join

Anyone; with one local resident in each pair, doors open more easily.

What it costs

Getting ready, step by step

• 7 days before

  Draw a rough map of the neighbourhood; split the lanes among four pairs.

  Try to put one local resident in each pair.

  Tell the ward councillor or union council; mention public spots and drains separately.

• 3 days before

  Print the leaflet: where water collects, what to check one day a week, what to do with a fever.

  Buy gloves, torches and sacks.

• The day before

  Announce on the mosque mike or the neighbourhood WhatsApp group.

  Show the team pictures of larvae: tiny dark thread-like wrigglers in water.

• On the day

  Introduce yourselves at the door, ask consent, and look with the resident.

  Empty and turn over containers; rubbish into sacks only with the resident's say-so.

  Note homes visited, spots emptied, and spots with larvae.

• The week after

  Return to the five homes with most larvae to see if the habit stuck.

  Give the list of building sites and public spots to the ward or union office.

Who does what

• Lead (1): Splits the area, announces, talks to the ward office, adds up at the end. — ____________
• House-to-house pairs (6): With consent, check pots, trays, tyres, drums, roofs; empty water; hand out leaflets. — ____________
• Tally keeper (1): Puts each pair's counts into one book and keeps the photos. — ____________

The day, hour by hour

• 08:00Team gathers; gloves, torches, leaflets, notebooks handed out; larvae pictures shown.
• 08:30Pairs start house to house in their own lanes.
• 10:00Roofs, building sites, garages and tyre shops.
• 11:00Water and a rest; the lead checks on each pair.
• 11:15Finish the remaining homes; sacks to the proper rubbish point.
• 12:15Everyone back; counts added up, photos picked.
• 12:45List and photos to the task page; print a list for the ward office.

What can go wrong, and what to do

• A fall from a roof or water tank. → Keep off unrailed roof edges; climb a tank only with someone from the house, or ask the owner to look.
• Someone will not open the door or let you in. → Do not push; hand over a leaflet on what to check, and note “not visited”.
• A team member, or someone in a home, has a fever. → Advise a test rather than self-medicating; only paracetamol for fever, no other painkiller without a doctor. Advice: Shasthya Batayon 16263. With belly pain, vomiting, bleeding or great weakness, go to hospital at once.
• Cuts from broken glass or sharp tin. → Wear gloves; for a cut, wash with clean water and press, and go to a clinic if deep.

Useful numbers

• 16263Shasthya Batayon: a doctor on the phone
• 999National emergency: police, fire, ambulance (free)

Team notes