18 more deaths due to dengue, death toll crosses 400 mark

Bangladesh has reported 18 more deaths due to dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning, taking the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease in the country to 416 in 2023, Bangladesh-based The Dhaka Tribune reported.

During the period, 2,480 more patients people were admitted to hospital with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the new patients, 919 were hospitalised in Dhaka and the rest of the patients were admitted to hospitals in other parts of the country.

A total of 9,431 dengue patients, including 4,140 in Dhaka were undergoing treatment at hospitals across the country. The Directorate General of Health Services has said that so far, it has recorded 87,891 dengue cases and 78,044 recoveries, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

The rise in dengue cases comes despite the health authorities' speculation that the number of dengue patients will drop to a tolerable limit by late August. However, the rise in dengue cases so far demonstrates a harrowing picture of the outbreak.

In the first 13 days of July, Bangladesh recorded 9404 cases of dengue and 46 deaths due to mosquito-borne disease, according to The Dhaka Tribune report. However, Bangladesh recorded 147 fatalities and 33,579 patients of dengue during the same period in August. Experts have warned that the outbreak could continue till November, with the peak expected this month.

Bangladesh's Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has called the dengue situation in Dhaka "stable."

Zahid Maleque said, "Even though dengue cases are on the rise across the country, the situation in Dhaka is stable now," The Dhaka Tribune reported.

On August 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that a significant surge in dengue fever cases has gripped Bangladesh, according to the statement released by United Nations.

The WHO called for efforts to control the mosquito vector population and minimize individual exposure like using mosquito repellents and wearing long-sleeved clothes.

The WHO said, "The higher incidence of dengue is taking place in the context of an unusual episodic amount of rainfall, combined with high temperatures and high humidity, which have resulted in an increased mosquito population throughout Bangladesh."

The WHO in a statement noted that a total of 69,483 dengue cases including 327 related deaths were reported in Bangladesh between 1 January and 7 August 2023 were reported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).

It stated that the number of cases and deaths is high in comparison to similar periods in the past five years. Dengue cases started to witness a rise in May 2023 and have been continuing since then, and the peak is unlikely to have been reached, WHO said in a statement. The reported number of dengue cases this year is the highest in comparison to the same periods recorded since 2000.