July has already become the worst month as the authorities recorded 109 deaths and 20,465 dengue-positive cases in the past 21 days.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 156 deaths were reported from dengue disease between January 1 and July 21, this year while 28, 443 dengue patients died since the dengue death records were first started.
The month of July alone witnessed 109 deaths linked to dengue simultaneously 20,465 positive cases were recorded, the DGHS added and the country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries in the previous year, reports BSS.
Month-wise data of dengue disease-2023 showed 566 dengue patients detected in January with six fatalities, 111 cases with zero deaths in February, 143 cases with two deaths in March, 50 cases with two deaths in April 1036 cases with two deaths in May and 5,956 cases with 34 deaths in June.
In comparison, last year was less severe in terms of dengue-positive cases and death figures as 268 patients died and 62,382 cases were recorded, the DGHS data said adding in 2019, the country saw the highest number of dengue cases – 1,01,354 with 179 deaths.
Health experts feared August and September will be more severe as these two months are more suitable for breeding Aedes mosquitoes.
"The number of dengue patients had been increasing alarmingly since January this year giving a signal of dengue pandemic during the rainy season as 566 dengue cases were reported in the first month of the year, which is almost five times higher than that of the same period of past three years," a DGHS official added.
Prof Md Nazmul Islam, line director of Communicable Disease Control (CDC) of DGHS told BSS, “As many as 177 dengue-positive cases were recorded in January 2020, 21 cases in January 2021, 126 cases in January 2022 while 566 dengue patients were detected in January 2023.”
He added that both city corporations have to play a leading role in curbing the disease and that the corporations have the authority to develop a mechanism to handle the mosquito-borne disease."
The health expert said, "If we can kill Aedes mosquito completely or destroy potential breeding grounds, we can prevent the disease...but it is a huge task to eradicate the mosquitoes."
He said social movement incorporating all levels of people in society including religious leaders should be launched to destroy breeding sources of Aedes mosquito.
M Mushtaq Hussain, adviser of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said, "Dengue infection rate will increase during the rainy season if we do not take proper measures to halt the spread of the disease."
He emphasized taking integrated efforts to tackle dengue disease and said that a single institution cannot handle the menace.
IEDCR advisor suggested that people, suffering from fever or other health complications, must visit doctors for detection of dengue infection, saying early detection of the mosquito-borne disease through performing tests is the best way to get remedy from the disease.
The DGHS is constantly mapping the overall dengue situation and it is taking the initiative accordingly to expand treatment facilities to handle the mosquito-borne disease.
As part of the expansion of healthcare facilities, he said, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) hospital at Mohakhali with an 800-bed capacity has been dedicated to ensuring medical facilities to treat dengue-infected people, the top official of DGHS said.
11 more die, 2,242 hospitalised in 24hrs
Eleven more deaths were reported from dengue in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 167 this year.
During the period, 2,242 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the DGHS, reports UNB.
Of the new patients, 1,239 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, the DGHS said. A total of 6,656 dengue patients, including 3,839 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 30,685 dengue cases and 23,862 recoveries this year.
Dengue deaths in Ctg higher among children
The number of dengue cases has recently been on the rise across Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka and Chattogram. Latest data show 1,780 people have been hospitalised in the port city so far this year, and 21 of them died of the disease.
An analysis of available data shows an unusually high number of children among the people who died of dengue in Chattogram this year. Of the 21 casualties, ten were children, and five of them died this month. Of the 11 adult dengue casualties, six were men and five women.
According to the Chittagong District Civil Surgeon's office, there are 432 children among the 1,780 dengue patients recorded in the port city till July 21. Besides, around 100 children have been admitted to different hospitals till Friday.
Chattogram district Entomologist Entezar Ferdauch said the number of dengue cases in the city is higher this year, and more Children are being infected by the illness every day.
Sixty-four people were infected with dengue in Chattogram in July 2022, while in the first 21 days of July this year, 1,315 people got infected. One person had died in July last year, but 12 people died due to dengue in the 21 days of this month.
In 2022, 41 people died of dengue in Chattogram, while 21 people have died so far this year due to the same illness.
Chittagong International Medical College Hospital’s Chief of Department of Children's Diseases Prof Dr Moslem Uddin Sabuj said, “We are concerned about the high incidence and mortality from dengue among children.
“Children under one year of age are the most at risk. Immunity in children is lower than adults. That is why children are more susceptible to this disease.”
He continued, “Children cannot tell others about their physical complications like the adults. As a result, they are often being taken to the doctor late, which increases casualties among them.”
“First of all, measures should be taken to reduce children's fever. If the body temperature is too high, parents should sponge them. Children should be fed water, saline, and liquid food frequently. Parents should consult a doctor before giving them any medicine.”
He added, “If the mothers of children under one year are infected with dengue, the children may get the infection as well. Children are at higher risk of dengue shock syndrome, because they cannot inform if they feel weak, or suffer from headache.
“Shock syndrome among children can get diagnosed much later. By that time, the child's condition worsens. Therefore, it is better to take the child to the doctor first and take medication in case of emergency. Parents should also remain alert to protect their children from mosquito bites.”
