As of Friday, over 69,922 cases of dengue and 342 dengue related deaths have been recorded in 2024 by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
These figures mean that 2024 now has the second highest dengue death toll, and third highest number of cases in Bangladesh’s recorded history.
More concerningly, this year’s seasonal outbreak has yet to show any signs of slowing down, with the highest single-day case count coming on Tuesday at 1,370 new cases, after dengue increased throughout October when cases usually begin to decline.
Though 2024 is unlikely to eclipse 2023 for the highest case count or death toll, it paints a disturbing new picture of how Bangladeshis can expect future outbreaks to unfold, as the two deadliest dengue waves in the country’s history have occurred in the last two years.
In 2023, Bangladesh recorded 1,705 dengue-related deaths, which was a record high and the number of deaths was recorded 281 in 2022
At this point the question to ask is: why have dengue cases increased exponentially since 2018?
At the moment we do not have a clear answer, though part of it may lie in climate change as higher temperatures cause mosquitoes to bite at higher rates, and increases in rainfall can leave larger areas of the standing water necessary for mosquitoes to lay eggs in.
In terms of preventing future outbreaks, there are hopes that the newly approved dengue vaccine will assist in tackling the disease, though that is unlikely to be a swift solution.
Vaccines may take years to reach the most vulnerable, and even then it will cost the country to vaccinate millions of people who could not otherwise afford it.
Until then, it seems increasingly likely that seasonal dengue outbreaks which kill hundreds of people will become Bangladesh’s new norm.
