Bangladesh dengue death toll surges past 1,500

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – The Bangladeshi health authority on Wednesday registered 24 new deaths from dengue fever, as the death toll has surpassed 1,500 since January.

Of the new deaths, 11 were recorded in the capital Dhaka, the epicenter of the mosquito-borne viral fever, while the city has reported 885 deaths so far out of total 1,520, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Meanwhile, the health office also reported 1,623 new cases of hospitalization across the country, including 349 from Dhaka. The total dengue cases has risen to 296,665 this year since January, including 104,576 from Dhaka.

A total of 289,390 patients made a recovery with a 98% overall recovery rate, according to official data.

At least 5,775 patients are currently under treatment in hospitals, including 1,507 from Dhaka.

Fatalities and hospitalizations this year have already set new records, breaking all the previous records in 23 year. Bangladesh started keeping official records in 2000.

Last year, Bangladesh reported 281 deaths and 123,808 dengue cases.

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