No letup in dengue severity: 10 more deaths in 24 hrs

Staff Reporter :
The country on Saturday recorded 10 more deaths from dengue raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease to 1,158 this year a press release from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

It said, during the period, 2,047 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever.

Among the new patients, 460 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside the capital–indicating a worsening situation across the country, DGHS said.

A total of 8,336 dengue patients, including 2,509 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 2,37,251 dengue cases and 2,27,757 recoveries this year.

September has so far been the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak this year with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, the DGHS data showed.

According to health experts, the vector-borne disease hit Dhaka city in 2000 subsequently the dengue positive cases were detected in Dhaka city only.

But the dengue disease is changing its nature and it is gradually spreading across the country, they said, adding all 64 districts of the country have witnessed dengue positive cases.

The month of August has been recorded as one of deadliest months this year with 71,976 cases and 342 fatalities while, July alone recorded 43,854 dengue positive cases with 204 deaths, the DGHS statement read.

Talking to journalists, several entomologists said that dengue by now emerged as an epidemic as it spread all over the country but observed that the concerned agencies, particularly city corporations could not take required steps to annihilate mosquitoes.

According to hospital authorities, the pressure of dengue patients has decreased slightly in healthcare facilities in Dhaka city, meaning the dengue situation is on a decreasing trend in the capital city, while the number of dengue cases is increasing outside Dhaka city.