Bangladesh reports nine more deaths due to dengue, fatalities reach 444

World Health Organization (WHO) has called for swift action as dengue cases have witnessed a rise in Bangladesh, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

Dhaka: Bangladesh has reported nine more deaths due to dengue in 24 hours until Thursday morning, taking the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 444 in 2023, Bangladesh-based The Dhaka Tribune reported.

During this period, 2,228 more patients were admitted to hospital with the viral fever. Of the new patients, 899 were hospitalised in Dhaka and the rest have been admitted to hospitals outside Dhaka, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

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As many as 8,661 patients, including 3,806 in Dhaka, are now undergoing treatment at hospitals in Bangladesh. So far, the health directorate has recorded 94,312 dengue cases and 85,207 recoveries this year, according to The Dhaka Tribune report.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for swift action as dengue cases have witnessed a rise in Bangladesh, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

The WHO said, “The higher incidence of dengue is taking place in the context of an unusual episodic amount of rainfall, combined with high temperatures and high humidity, which have resulted in an increased mosquito population throughout Bangladesh,” according to The Dhaka Tribune report. On August 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that a significant surge in dengue fever cases has gripped Bangladesh.

The WHO called for efforts to control the mosquito vector population and minimize individual exposure like using mosquito repellents and wearing long-sleeved clothes.

The WHO said, “The higher incidence of dengue is taking place in the context of an unusual episodic amount of rainfall, combined with high temperatures and high humidity, which have resulted in an increased mosquito population throughout Bangladesh.”

The WHO in a statement noted that a total of 69,483 dengue cases including 327 related deaths were reported in Bangladesh between 1 January and 7 August 2023 were reported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). It stated that the number of cases and deaths is high in comparison to similar periods in the past five years.

Dengue cases started to witness a rise in May 2023 and have been continuing since then, and the peak is unlikely to have been reached, WHO said in a statement. The reported number of dengue cases this year is the highest in comparison to the same periods recorded since 2000.