Dengue strikes back

As measles continues to spread fear across the country for the past three and a half months, with vaccination drives and other measures failing to curb the outbreak, dengue is now emerging as a fresh threat.

Cases quadrupled in June alone and deaths are rising too, prompting experts to call for targeted, evidence-based mosquito control before the situation worsens further in July.

One more person died of dengue in the last 24 hours, taking this year’s death toll to 19, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its daily update on Wednesday.

The patient died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mymensingh. A further 163 people were hospitalised nationwide during the same period.

Total dengue cases so far this year have crossed 6,000, standing at 6,267, with 5,793 patients having recovered and been discharged. June alone accounted for 13 deaths and 2,907 cases — both the highest monthly figures this year — compared with 1,081 cases in January.

Of the 163 new patients reported in the latest 24-hour period, 46 were from Barishal division, 27 from Chattogram, 24 from Khulna, 23 from Dhaka division outside the city corporations, 14 from Mymensingh and four from Rajshahi. Within the capital, Dhaka South City Corporation recorded 17 new patients and Dhaka North eight.

By comparison, Bangladesh recorded 102,861 dengue cases and 413 deaths in all of 2025, and 101,214 cases with 575 deaths in 2024.

Experts warn of a worsening July, August
Speaking to the media, Dr Kabirul Bashar, professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University and a public health expert, said the number of dengue patients would keep rising with each passing day from now on, with the situation likely to worsen further in July and August. He said infections outside Dhaka may this time outpace those within the capital.

He noted that many patients are travelling long distances to Dhaka for treatment, and that such journeys can worsen complications like dehydration and plasma leakage.

District and upazila hospitals need to be made treatment-ready so patients do not all have to come to the capital, he said.

Dr Bashar also said fogging alone cannot control dengue. Breeding grounds must be identified and larvae destroyed, he said, adding that targeted, evidence-based control with public participation is essential.

Currently, Barishal division has the highest caseload with 1,629 patients, followed by Chattogram with 1,140 and Khulna with 701. Within Dhaka, the South City Corporation area has recorded more cases (871) than the North (532).

Favourable conditions for Aedes mosquitoes
Infections and deaths rose sharply in June compared with May. April this year saw 75% more rainfall than normal, and intermittent rain is expected through the monsoon rather than continuous downpours — conditions considered highly favourable for the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, the vector for dengue. Government and private surveys have also found alarmingly high Aedes larvae presence.

A pre-monsoon survey found high levels of Aedes larvae in both Dhaka city corporation areas. Of Dhaka South’s 75 wards, 63 were found to be at risk of dengue, including 27 at high risk. Dhaka North’s wards recorded an average Brooding Index above 40, while Chattogram city’s average stood above 31 — indicating most areas in both cities, as well as Chattogram, are vulnerable. The situation is considered even more concerning in the country’s south and southeast, particularly Barishal, Barguna, Pirojpur and Cox’s Bazar.

Health system under strain
Experts point to the outbreaks of 2019, 2022 and 2023 as evidence of how severe a dengue crisis can become, warning that the healthcare system remains ill-equipped to handle simultaneous emergencies — a strain already visible in the ongoing measles outbreak, where patients are often shuttled between hospitals in search of an ICU bed.

While countries like Singapore and Vietnam have controlled dengue through science-based, coordinated planning, Bangladesh’s response has largely remained Dhaka-centric, with no sustained nationwide programme this year beyond periodic drives and awareness campaigns.

Experts are urging the government, city corporations, municipalities and union parishads to launch an entomologist-guided campaign against Aedes mosquitoes, and to ready public and private hospitals for timely treatment.