Viqarunnisa student dies of dengue

An eighth grader of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College died of dengue at a private hospital in Dhaka on Wednesday morning, reports UNB.

The deceased Asmita Begum, 13, is the daughter of Amanat Mawla of Kamlapur village in Bishwanath upazila of Sylhet.

Amanat said all four members of the family were diagnosed with dengue recently. Three of them recovered.

Asmita was admitted to Labaid Specialised Hospital and later shifted to Millennium Heart and General Hospital.

The schoolgirl died around 7:30am, six days after being hospitalised.

Bangladesh is fighting an uphill battle against mosquito-borne disease dengue with its densely-populated capital Dhaka at the centre of the outbreak.

Altogether, 73,565 people were hospitalised with dengue since 1 January. Of them, 69,785 made full recovery. Currently, 3,588 patients are being treated at hospitals - 1,989 in Dhaka alone.

Official data showed 820 patients were hospitalised across the country in 24 hours until the morning. The number was 783 on Tuesday.

Since January, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) received information about 188 dengue-related deaths. So far, it has reviewed 96 cases and confirmed 57 dengue deaths.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue.

There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, the WHO says, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1 per cent.

Dengue prevention and control depends on effective vector control measures, it says