143 more dengue cases reported in 24 hrs

Health authorities reported 143 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning as the country is seeing a spike in the mosquito-borne disease, reports UNB.

Bangladesh has been seeing over 100 dengue patients for the last four days adding worries to the country’s health services, already overburdened with growing Covid cases and fatalities.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 509 patients are receiving treatment at different hospitals in the capital, while just nine patients were listed outside Dhaka.

Some 1,945 patients were admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January. Among them, 1433 were released after recovery.

DGHS spokesman and line director Dr. Nazmul Islam suggested testing for dengue as well as coronavirus if someone has high temperature.

He also asked to take medicine on the advice of a registered physician only in case of treatment. If necessary, one could take treatment by contacting the hotline number of DGHS.

The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020.

Official figures state 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.

Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the years that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better, but it did become endemic. Fatalities almost fell to zero at one stage, before spiking again in 2018, leading to the horrific crisis the following year.