Fatalities from dengue continue to soar alarmingly in the country, with five more people, including a teenage female college student, dying in a 24-hour span ending at 8am Tuesday.
With the latest deaths, the total body count from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh surged to 61 this year.
As of June 30 morning, the death toll stood at 47 this year. This means 14 people have died in just five days.
Over the 24 hours from Monday morning, 678 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new cases are also the maximum in a day so far this year.
Of the new patients, 429 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to the DGHS.
A total of 1,669 dengue patients, including 1,100 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Since January, the DGHS has recorded 9,871 dengue cases and 8,141 recoveries.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. It recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
The DGHS has recently issued comprehensive instructions on the prevention of dengue infection as the mosquito-borne tropical disease has increased sharply this year.
According to DGHS data, dengue infection has increased five times between January 1 and May 31.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Outbreaks of the disease are usually seasonal, peaking during and after the rainy season.
There is no specific treatment for dengue. However, a timely detection of cases, identifying any warning signs of severe dengue infection, and appropriate case management are key elements of care to prevent patient deaths and can lower fatality rates of severe infection to below 1%, says the WHO.
‘All in Dhaka at risk'
Citing a study on the pre-Aedes mosquito season, the DGHS yesterday said that everyone in Dhaka is highly likely to suffer from dengue infection as 55 wards of its two city corporations are found to be “at risk”.
According to the estimate, wards No 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 30, 31, 33, 35, 37 and 38 of Dhaka North City Corporation are vulnerable.
In Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), wards No 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33, 34, 36, 41, 44, 46, 48, 50, 51, 54, 55 and 56 are at risk.
“Two city corporation areas are under similar risk. In general, Aedes mosquito larvae have been found wherever rainwater has accumulated in the entire Dhaka city. In both cities we found the presence of close numbers of larvae,” said DGHS Director (Infectious Disease Control) Md Nazmul Islam.
Meanwhile, the DSCC yesterday started a three-day special drive in 25 wards to destroy the breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes.
During the drive, its mobile courts slapped fines amounting to Tk1,05,500 in 12 cases.