The mosquito-borne dengue virus has spread infections in every district in the country in a record outbreak.
No new deaths were reported from dengue fever on Thursday, but 1,712 new patients were identified, with 1,150 in Dhaka city alone.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Directorate General of Health Services confirmed there were 17,183 dengue patients – of whom 14 were fatalities, 4,903 were hospitalized, and 12,266 released after treatment.
However, unofficial reports put the death toll around 50. The number of patients is also expected to dwarf the official statistics.
From January to March, there were only 73 infections in total. In April, there were 58 infections and two fatalities. The number of infected patients nearly quadrupled to 193 in May, and blew up to 1,863 in June with two more deaths.
But in July, the outbreak infected 15,614 people and killed 10.
The outbreak far surpasses the previous largest instance from 2002 when there were 6,232 confirmed dengue cases with over 62 deaths. The dengue outbreak was largely attributed to the flood situation at the time.
In Rangpur, journalists have been barred entry to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. The hospital currently has dengue patients sharing the same ward as regular patients. Authorities claim they have not received the instruction for free dengue tests.
In Chuadanga, patients have adopted more prudent measures by having themselves tested before getting admitted at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital. In many other districts, citizens directly asked for admission and treatment in a state of panic, overwhelming medical facilities.
In Khagrachhari, dengue patients are on the rise. The lack of testing equipment has complicated the situation. The sadar hospital authorities confirmed that all 15 patients admitted in a week had come from Dhaka.
In Jhenaidah, the vast majority of dengue patients are from urban areas, and only a handful from rural areas. A dedicated dengue unit at the sadar hospital is providing treatment to patients in accord with the government instructions. l
Our correspondents Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur; Mehedi Hasan, Chuadanga; Nuruchsafa Manik, Khagrachhari and Nayan Khondoker, Jhenaidah contributed to this report