67 cases of Chikungunya, 11 cases of Zika virus reported this year: IEDCR

Staff Reporter :

At least 67 cases of Chikungunya and 11 cases of Zika virus infection has been recorded in Bangladesh this year, a recent report of The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) disclosed it on Monday.

IEDCR Line Director Dr Halimur Rashid revealed the information at a press briefing held at Mohakhali in the capital.

Dr. Abu Zafar, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) was also present in the event.

“Ninety percent of those infected with the Zika virus show no symptoms and the mortality rate from this disease is zero. However, the health authority must remain watchful about this matter as both Chikungunya and Zika viruses spread through Aedes mosquitoes,” the DGHS DG said.

The DG also urged all to remain aware about the two diseases and keep houses neat and clean. “There is no reason to be much worried over Zika and Chikungunya,” he said.

He, however, said the dengue cases and deaths are higher compared to other time of the year, Dr Zafar said dengue is not being given proper attention, causing a rise in the number of fatalities.
Dengue cases continue to rise during this period due to climate change, he said.

Patients infected with dengue do not come to the hospital unless the condition deteriorates and so they go into shock in a very short time, he said.

The DGHS data showed that three more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 497 this year.

Among the recent fatalities, one took place in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), while one occurred in Dhaka Division and another in Khulna Division (outside the city corporations.)
During the period, 705 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Of them, 154 dengue patients were admitted in hospital under Dhaka North City Corporation while 90 were hospitalised in Dhaka South City Corporation.

As of now, 2,779 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals across the country. Since January 1, 2024, a total of 93,056 dengue cases have been reported.

Last year, dengue claimed the lives of 1,705 people, making it the deadliest year on record.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), there were 321,179 dengue cases and 318,749 recoveries in 2023.

The mortality rate is rising due to the delay in seeking hospital care, the DGHS DG said.
The highest number of deaths from dengue is recorded in Dhaka among people aged between 20 to 40 while in Chattogram, the mortality rate is comparatively higher among children than the elderly people, he added.