Dhaka, Aug 3 (EFE).- Bangladesh recorded Thursday the highest number of deaths from dengue in a year following the death of 10 people in the last 24 hours, taking the total deaths from the disease to 283 so far in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Directorate General of Health Services reported 10 new deaths in 24 hours until 8 am Thursday, which took the number of deaths past the 2022 tally of 281, the previous highest number of deaths recorded in a single year since official counting began in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a press statement, the health directorate also reported 2,589 fresh cases of hospitalization, taking the total to 59,716.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The caseload is believed to be much higher as many people are still outside the government surveillance network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2019, 101,354. dengue cases were recorded in Bangladesh, the highest ever infections in a year in the south Asian country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We cannot accommodate all the patients who come to our hospital. We only admit the most serious patients,” Nikaruzzaman, director of Mugda Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, told EFE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We have some 500 dengue patients now in our hospital. Every day, at least 150 people receive treatment here,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Entomologists blamed a lack of coordination among government agencies for the dengue situation turning this serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We have several authorities working to control dengue. But they lacked coordination. I also doubt the efficacy of the chemical we use for mosquito control,” Abu Faiz Mohammad Aslam, a zoology professor at Jahangirnagar University near Dhaka, told EFE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aslam underlined that although the situation was already grim, there was still time for effective measures to prevent further aggravation of the outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We are only at the start of August. This situation may turn catastrophic unless immediate steps are taken,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection that causes flu-like illness, is transmitted by female mosquitoes, mainly of the Aedes species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The symptoms of the potentially deadly disease include headaches, muscle, and joint pains, and body rashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dengue cases usually start rising in July and come down in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Climate change, unplanned urbanization, poor water supply management, and human behavior are often blamed for the spread of the dengue virus. EFE <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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