The country’s dengue outbreak is accelerating, with 42,590 people hospitalised and 117 deaths recorded this year, as a sharp September surge strains hospitals and raises fears the mosquito-borne disease could intensify further in the coming weeks.
At least four dengue patients died and 1,558 others were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data, marking the highest daily admission tally recorded so far this year.
The disease, which can cause fever, severe headaches and potentially fatal complications, has spread sharply in recent weeks, reviving concerns after Bangladesh’s deadliest dengue outbreak in 2023.
The outbreak has further strained a healthcare system already grappling with a nationwide measles outbreak that has killed nearly 1,000 children this year.
Health experts warn September could prove even more severe than August, which recorded the highest monthly dengue caseload of the year.
Prof Kabirul Bashar, a medical entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, said his surveillance and forecasting model suggests hospitalisations could exceed 30,000 this month if current trends continue, with weather conditions likely to support transmission into October.
“The peak has not been reached yet,” Bashar said.
“If the current trajectory continues, September may become the worst month of the year for dengue infections.” — Reuters
