Dengue death toll nears 600

A boy sits on the hospital bed as he has been hospitalised with dengue in the capital’s Mugda Medical College and Hospital on 11 July 2023.
Tanvir Ahammed

Some four people have died from dengue in a 24-hour period until 8:00 am on Friday, taking the death toll to 597. An alarming 342 deaths were recorded in the previous month alone.

In a regular bulletin, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said a total of 589 dengue patients have been hospitalised in Dhaka during the 24-hour period, while 945 more are in hospitals outside the capital city.

In total, 124,342 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals this year.

Previously, the highest number of deaths from the mosquito-borne viral disease, 281, was recorded in 2022. This year, the threshold has long been surpassed.