DHAKA, NOV 7 – Bangladesh is struggling to deal with a surge in dengue fever cases as climate change makes the disease a year-round crisis, with some pediatric wards overcrowded with children forced to sleep in single beds.
The Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue fever – which can be identified by its black and white spotted legs, breeds in stagnant pools of water, and cases that normally decline after the monsoon rains are now continuing.
“Usually at this time, we expect the number of patients to decrease,” said Fazlul Haque, who was walking through a ward full of dengue patients at Dhaka’s Shaheed Sohrawardi Medical College.
“However, during the last three weeks, the number of dengue fever cases continued to increase.”
“We receive dengue patients almost every month,” said Sabina Tabassum Anika, the doctor who runs the children’s dengue ward.
“With higher cases than previous months, we had to place two children in each hospital bed to cover their numbers.”
Last month, Bangladesh recorded 134 deaths from dengue fever, the deadliest month of the year, bringing the death toll in 2024 to 326.
Although the number of cases is lower than last year, when more than 1,000 people died, medical experts say deaths from dengue fever are now being recorded almost every month.
More than 65,000 cases were recorded in early November. Severe cases can cause bleeding, either internally or from the mouth and nose.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of an alarming spread of the virus, with reported cases worldwide almost doubling every year since 2021.
More than 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, were reported in the first eight months of 2024.
Sheikh Daud Adnan from the Control of Infectious Diseases (CDC) said efforts must be made to destroy the larval breeding grounds.
“Often, we act slowly and only act after the outbreak,” said Adnan.
“People still don’t fully believe that dengue fever can occur at any time of the year, often mistaking it for seasonal fever.” – AFP
