Bangladesh dengue outbreak claims five more lives, death toll rises to 107
Dhaka, Sep 2 (IANS) At least five more people died of dengue outbreak in Bangladesh on Wednesday, taking the country’s death toll from the mosquito borne disease to 107 this year, local media reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning, while 1,110 new patients were hospitalised nationwide during the same period.
The latest fatalities were recorded in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Mymensingh and Barishal divisions, the DGHS stated, Bangladeshi daily UNB reported.
Amid the escalating health crisis, Bangladesh witnessed a sharp rise in dengue infections in August this year, recording the third-highest monthly number of cases and deaths since the country’s first major outbreak in 2000, amid a continuing surge in the disease.
As many as 43 dengue-related deaths and 20,536 hospitalisations were recorded last month, making it the third-highest month for both cases and fatalities over the past 26 years, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, has emerged as a serious public health concern in Bangladesh. It is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Kabirul Bashar, professor of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, said the number of cases could continue to rise through October.
He urged the authorities to identify neighbourhood-level hotspots and take swift action through intensified mosquito control, community mobilisation and awareness campaigns.
Entomologist GM Saifur Rahman of National University in Dhaka said that inadequate anti-mosquito drives across the country were contributing to the risk of a further increase in cases over the next two months.
“The situation could deteriorate further unless the authorities take the necessary measures immediately,” The Daily Star quoted Rahman as saying.
HM Nazmul Ahsan, associate professor at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, said dengue fatalities are driven by a combination of factors including the patient’s condition, the virus and the quality of medical management.
He noted that delays in admission and transport can further worsen the risk, particularly for patients from remote areas who spend five to six hours travelling without proper fluid management.
“By the time they reach a government emergency department, some have extremely low or undetectable blood pressure,” he said.
–IANS
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