LATEST
Aman cultivation target surpasses in Madhukhali ‘Bangladesh has certainty, plans and potential’ Professional bodies call for stronger financial reporting to build investor confidence Canada calls for economic ties with BD beyond aid Trio wins Nobel medicine prize for work on optogenetics Rethink river management for Delta Plan Go beyond bilateral water deals Dhaka holds line on Ganges water LPG scarcity deepens Dhaka’s woes Make teaching a first-choice career
Skip to content

Wednesday | October 07, 2026 | Dhaka

Dengue deaths hit year high

10 deaths and nearly 2,000 hospitalisations in 24 hours
 Fatema Jerin Joty
 Published: 12:52 AM, 07 October 2026  Updated: 11:48 PM, 06 October 2026
A child patient takes treatment with cannula in hand at Mugda Hospital in the capital amid huge dengue surge across the country leaving 10 deaths in the last 24 hours. The photo was taken on Tuesday.

Deadly dengue infection is tightening its grip on Bangladesh, with the country recording its highest single-day death toll of the year on Tuesday as 10 patients died and 1,996 others were hospitalised in the 24 hours to 8:00am, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The latest fatalities took the year’s dengue death toll to 281, while cumulative hospitalisations since January 1 reached 90,356. Of them, 84,299 patients have recovered and been discharged.

Khulna division reported three of the latest deaths, while Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Barishal recorded two each. Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka division and Rajshahi each reported one death.

The latest figures came a day after nine dengue patients died and 1,902 were hospitalised, which had been the year’s previous daily high.

Outbreak accelerates
The outbreak has intensified sharply since September. The DGHS recorded 148 deaths and 43,774 hospitalisations that month, making it the deadliest month so far this year. September’s death toll was more than three times August’s 43.

The situation has deteriorated further in October. Reuters, citing health ministry data, reported on Tuesday that 10,736 people had been hospitalised and 36 had died from dengue between October 1 and 6.

Women account for a slightly higher share of deaths this year, comprising 52.3 per cent of the 281 fatalities, compared with 47.7 per cent among men.

Cumulative figures show 75 deaths in DSCC, 55 in Khulna division, 35 in DNCC, 25 in Chattogram, 24 in Barishal, 23 in Mymensingh, 19 in Rajshahi, 17 in Dhaka division, six in Rangpur and two in Sylhet.

Hospitals under pressure
The surge has placed hospitals, particularly in Dhaka, under mounting pressure.

Health authorities have instructed hospitals to increase bed capacity, while the government is considering transferring some burn patients from Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Burn Unit to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery to free beds for dengue patients.

Authorities are also considering opening a field hospital at DMCH. Hospitals outside Dhaka have been asked to expand capacity as the infection spreads beyond the capital.

Experts, however, warn that specialised treatment and experienced medical personnel remain concentrated in Dhaka, creating additional difficulties for patients in other regions.

Vaccine trials considered
Bangladesh is also considering clinical trials of a dengue vaccine as part of a longer-term response.

State Minister for Health M.A. Muhit said all four dengue serotypes were circulating in the country and that vaccine trials were being considered, subject to regulatory approval.

Former DGHS Disease Control director Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed told The New Nation that dengue is increasingly affecting rural communities, where many patients struggle to afford timely treatment.

“Many people in villages cannot afford proper treatment and do not get care in time. At the same time, there are not enough mosquito-control measures in rural areas. This lack of treatment and prevention is causing more deaths,” he said.

He added that weaker mosquito-control measures in villages, compared with cities, were contributing to the rising risk.

The widening outbreak is therefore putting pressure not only on hospitals but also on Bangladesh’s disease-prevention and rural healthcare systems, raising concerns over whether existing measures are sufficient to contain the spread.