Dengue death toll in Bangladesh tops 1,000

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The death toll from the mosquito-borne viral infection dengue in Bangladesh surpassed 1,000, as the country reported 17 new fatalities on Sunday, according to health authorities.

The death toll now stood at 1,006, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the highest since 2000 when the country started keeping data on the disease.

Of the total 206,288 cases, 195,925 patients have recovered, marking a 95% recovery rate, according to DGHS data.

On Sunday, 2,882 new dengue patients were hospitalized across the country.

This September alone claimed 396 deaths with almost 80,000 registered hospitalizations.

August saw 342 deaths from the mosquito-borne disease, according to DGHS.

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

The high number of reported cases has already started putting pressure on the health system in the country, the World Health Organization warned.