Bangladesh is facing a severe and deadly outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals overwhelmed by the rapid spread of the disease in the densely-populated country. Official figures indicate that at least 293 people have died from dengue fever in 2023, and nearly 61,500 individuals have been infected, making this year the deadliest since the first recorded epidemic in 2000, news agency Reuters reported on Saturday.
Hospitals, particularly in Dhaka, are struggling to accommodate the large number of patients suffering from high fever, joint pain, and vomiting, according to the report which cited health officials.
According to Health Minister Zahid Maleque, the government has implemented a variety of initiatives to combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, including awareness campaigns and efforts to eliminate mosquito larvae following periods of rainfall, it said.
Shariful Islam, whose family members are being treated in a government hospital in Dhaka, described the difficulties they had in finding a proper bed for his mother and sister, eventually making do with makeshift arrangements on the floor.
"Since we arrived, the doctors and nurses have told us that they are unable to provide us with a proper bed, but that if we stay, they will treat us. We had no choice but to arrange things on the floor for my mother and sister," Shariful Islam told Reuters television as he stood guard over his family members in a Dhaka government hospital.
Dengue fever has no specific vaccine or drug for treatment, and it is common in South Asia during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, because the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the deadly virus, thrives in stagnant water.
Experts predict an increase in cases in August and September, according to the report. The number of deaths this year has already surpassed the previous year's record of 281 deaths, while the number of infections is only slightly lower than the 62,423 cases reported in 2022, it added.
Timely detection and access to proper medical care can reduce the mortality rate of sufferers to less than 1%, the report said.