A conceptual framework of an automated mosquito control in drainage systems for combating dengue in Bangladesh

Abstract

In recent times, Dengue fever has been causing widespread suffering among the people of Bangladesh. Despite Dengue outbreaks occurring every year, the current endemic has surpassed the records of previous years in terms of the number of deaths and hospitalizations. Dengue is mainly spread through the Aedes mosquito, which is prevalent in Bangladesh. Although many initiatives have been taken to combat and prevent the spread of Dengue fever in most households, the spread could not be controlled since the main breeding grounds of mosquitoes, the drainage systems, remain mostly unmaintained and unclean. The local authorities usually carry out the traditional fogging method at certain intervals to keep the mosquitoes under control. However, this method is manual, ineffective, and harmful to the environment and human lives. As a result, there are more risks than rewards in such methods. Thus, the contribution of this paper lies in proposing a conceptual framework of an automated, cost-effective, simple, and efficient mosquito-controlling system that can be employed in drainage systems of Bangladesh to limit mosquito breeding and prevent the spread of Dengue fever. The detection process of this system showed success of more than 80% on all performance parameters.