Dengue surge in Bangladesh: 224 more hospitalized in 24 hrs

As many as 224 new patients were hospitalized in 24 hours till Sunday morning amid a growing concern over a spike in dengue cases.

Since August 1, the country has been seeing over 200 dengue cases every day adding worries to the already overburdened health sector with Covid-19 patients.

Of the new dengue cases, 211 were reported in Dhaka while the remaining 13 from outside the division, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

According to the (DGHS), 946 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country. Of them, 900 patients were reported to be admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rests in other divisions.

Some 4,543 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 3,587 of them have been released after they recovered.

So far, 10 suspected deaths caused by dengue were reported to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) but none of them had been reviewed and confirmed yet, said the DGHS.

Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the year that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better.

The fatalities had almost fallen to zero at one stage, before surging again in 2018, leading to the severe outbreak the following year.