1,000 deaths from dengue in Bangladesh during the deadliest outbreak
Government data indicates that this year has seen more than 1,000 fatalities from Bangladesh’s largest dengue outbreak on record, and hospitals are cramming in patients as the disease spreads swiftly in the densely populated country.
The results show that 2023 was the bloodiest year since the outbreak was first recorded in 2000, with at least 1,017 fatalities and about 209,000 infections.
In comparison to the entire previous year, when Bangladesh recorded 281 dengue-related deaths, the current death toll is approximately four times higher.
Health officials reported that hospitals are having trouble accommodating the enormous number of patients who are experiencing high fevers, joint pain, and vomiting while there is a lack of IV fluids.
I’m not sure how my son got sick. He instantly developed a fever. As Sanwar Hossain watched his kid in Mugda General Hospital in the Bangladeshi metropolis of Dhaka, he told Reuters, “I hurried him here, and then the doctors found out that he has dengue.
Although Dhaka patients have decreased recently, more people from rural areas of the country are now being admitted, which the hospital’s administrator called a “concerning” indicator. He goes by the single name Niatuzzaman.
Due to the Aedes aegypti mosquito’s propensity for breeding in still water and its prevalence in South Asia during the June–September monsoon season, there is no vaccine or medication especially designed to treat dengue.
Longer monsoon seasons and higher temperatures are ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, say entomologists and epidemiologists.
Read more about the record-breaking dengue fever outbreak in Bangladesh.
Officials claim that in response to the rise in cases, the government has intensified its anti-dengue effort, including initiatives to improve awareness and get rid of mosquito larvae following a period of rain.
Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist and professor of biology at Jahangirnagar University, claims that despite the lack of effective preventative measures, dengue-carrying mosquitoes have managed to spread throughout Bangladesh.
“From 2000 until 2018, dengue was confined to the metropolis of Dhaka, but in 2019, dengue spread to neighbouring cities. It has also moved into rural areas this year.
According to renowned Bangladeshi doctor ABM Abdullah, access to appropriate medical care and early detection can reduce fatalities to less than 1% of patients.
