Staff Reporter :
The dengue situation in Bangladesh has taken a turn for the worse, with the death toll rising to 102 and a staggering 16,819 hospitalisations reported since January.
The mosquito-borne viral disease continues to spread, with health experts warning of a potential deadly outbreak due to irregular anti-mosquito campaigns and the lack of local government representation.
The upheaval in local governance following the fall of the Awami League government has further complicated the situation. The interim government has removed 12 city corporation mayors, 330 municipality mayors, and almost all zilla and upazila parishad chairmen.
Although administrators were appointed to fill the void, their efforts have so far proven insufficient to tackle the crisis effectively.
The victims of the dengue outbreak range between the ages of 16 and 50, with three women and two men among the deceased. Deaths have been reported consistently throughout the year: 14 in January, three in February, five in March, two in April, two in May, eight in June, 12 in July, 27 in August, and 19 in the first 10 days of September.
The hospitalisation numbers also paint a grim picture, with 1,055 cases in January, 339 in February, 311 in March, 504 in April, 644 in May, 798 in June, 2,669 in July, 6,521 in August, and 3,978 cases in the first 10 days of September alone.
DENGUE’S RISE AND GOVERNMENT INACTION
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 2023 saw a record 1,705 deaths and 321,179 hospitalisations due to dengue, compared to 853 deaths and 244,246 hospitalisations from 2000 to 2022. The first recorded dengue outbreak in Bangladesh occurred in 2000, when 93 people died and 5,551 were hospitalised.