Dengue Outbreak: 104 land in hospital in 24 hours

At least 104 people were admitted to hospitals across the country with dengue fever in 24 hours ending at 8:00am yesterday, the highest in a day this year.

Of them, only 44 were from outside Dhaka.

With them, a total of 1,574 patients have been diagnosed with dengue this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

As many as 1,202 of them were diagnosed with the infection in a month ending yesterday morning, which indicates the fast-rising cases of the disease.

In June, 272 were infected with dengue, up from 43 in May.

Though most of the hospitalised patients have already been released, 422 are still undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Dhaka, and three outside the capital, the DGHS data shows.

The recent spike in dengue cases has added to the burden of healthcare providers as the country continues to grapple with a wave of the Covid-19.

DGHS spokesman Nazmul Islam advised testing for dengue as well as coronavirus if anyone suffered from fever, reports UNB.

He said medicine should be taken only on the advice of a registered doctor. If necessary, one may contact the hotline number of the Directorate General of Health Services. 

The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three dengue-related deaths last year. It marked a dramatic drop from the previous year, which was the worst year on record for dengue in the country.

Official figures show 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.

Dengue fever was first reported in the country in 2000 when 93 people died of the disease. In the following years, the country learned to deal with the disease much better.

Fatalities almost fell to zero at one stage, before spiking again in 2018, leading to the horrific crisis the following year.