Bangladesh grapples with record dengue outbreak

Staff Reporter :

The country recorded eight more deaths from dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease to 556 this year.
Meanwhile, 2,331 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever during the period, according to the data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Among the new patients, 918 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.
A total of 8,212 dengue patients, including 3, 913 the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 116,842 dengue cases, 108,074 recoveries. 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 last year.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has delivered medical supplies for children as cases surge in Bangladesh.
With more than 21,000 cases of dengue reported among children under the age of 15, UNICEF is intensifying its support to the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh to contain the dengue outbreak in the country.
To protect children and to respond to the public health emergency, UNICEF is delivering $2.25 million worth of urgently needed testing kits, and training of professionals, along with other critical supplies and services in the health and water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors.
The dengue outbreak has now spread to 64 districts. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, more than 112,000 cases of dengue have been reported, of which 20pc are children below the age of 15 years.