Jakarta –
Bangladesh has recorded a record number of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) deaths. The number of patients in the hospital increased rapidly.
So far, 293 people have died from dengue in 2023. Nearly 61,500 people have been reported infected, making it the deadliest year since the first outbreak was recorded in 2000.
Hospitals, especially in the capital Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the large number of patients who complain of high fever, joint pain and vomiting, local health officials have explained.
“The government has launched initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, ranging from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill mosquito larvae after the rainy season”, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said, quoted by Reuters Monday (7/8/2023).
“Ever since we came here, the doctors and nurses have told us they can’t provide us with proper beds, but if we stay, they will take care of us. We have no other choice but to set things on the floor for mum and my sister,” said Shariful Islam, one of the patient’s relatives, at a government hospital in Dhaka.
Experts say this year’s death toll has surpassed the previous record of 281 from last year, with the number of people infected just behind 2022’s 62,423 cases.
Early detection and access to appropriate medical care can reduce mortality to less than one percent of patients.
“When the rainy season starts in April, so do Aedes mosquitoes breed. The virus has already spread in society, therefore it is also contagious,” said Kabirul Bashar, professor of entomology at Jahangirnagar University.
“This is what causes us to see very high DHF cases in July. It is likely that it will increase again in August and September,” he said.
According to him, this trend has occurred in almost all of Asia, where extreme weather events have triggered an alarming spike in dengue fever outbreaks.
Watch Video “WHO Warning Regarding the Effect of El Nino on the Spread of the Virus”
(juice/juice)
2023-08-07 11:02:48
#Bangladesh #Record #DHF #Deaths #Number #Patients #Hospital #Continues #Increase
