Another death, 463 infections reported as Bangladesh grapples with rising dengue cases

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Another person died of dengue and 463 people were admitted to hospitals across Bangladesh during the last 24 hours, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Entomologists projected the dengue situation in Bangladesh to worsen in the coming days as it continues to report hundreds of new cases and deaths due to mosquito borne viral fever.

About 193 dengue patients were hospitalized in Dhaka while the rest 270 were admitted to different hospitals outside the capital city, DGHS added. Three people died and over 400 cases were registered on Saturday.

With the new cases, the total caseload rose to 15,670 with at least 96 deaths from dengue disease since January. Of them, 13,992 patients were released from hospitals.

In 2023, Bangladesh reported a record 1,705 deaths due to dengue and a total of 321,179 dengue cases, said the DGHS data.

The viral infection dengue is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes. There is no treatment for the disease yet.

Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist and professor at Jahangirnagar University, told Anadolu that they already projected that September would see higher number of cases due to the weather pattern and higher intensity of larvae found in July, the beginning of rainy season in the South Asian country.

He feared that the situation would “worsen in October, if measures are not taken duly in consultation with entomologists and health experts.”

“All the patients diagnosed with dengue don't report or are admitted to hospitals, thus the figure we have does not represent the real number of infected people,” he added.

"The weather prevailing in Bangladesh now is good for dengue breeding. So, we have to work scientifically to fight the disease," he added, urging the local government authorities to take three specific measures — hot spot management, breeding and larvae management in a scientific manner.​​​​​​​