- 2,418 more patients hospitalized
- 7,927 dengue patients receiving treatment
Amid the government’s reluctance to declare the outbreak a public health emergency despite repeated calls from experts, the country on Tuesday registered yet another 16 deaths from the mosquito-borne disease.
The latest body counts recorded in the 24 hours till 8am on Tuesday pushed the overall death toll from dengue to 201 this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
During the period, a whopping 2,418 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever. This is the highest single-day caseload since January.
The 50th death was recorded on July 1, followed by the 100th one on July 15 with the 150th one coming in on July 20. So, it took just five days for the 200th dengue fatality to be confirmed.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on July 22 and the DGHS on July 16 said the time to declare an emergency over the dengue crisis was yet to come.
Dhaka still in danger
Of the overall deaths, 162 were reported in the capital alone. This means Dhaka accounts for 80.6% of the deaths.
The grim situation also applies to Dhaka city when it comes to the number of total cases.
Dhaka generated nearly 60% of the countrywide caseload of 37,688.
Of the new patients, 1,162 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.
A total of 7,927 dengue patients, including 4,646 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 29,560 recoveries.
DNCC’s drives
To curb the outbreak, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has imposed a total fine of 1.28 crore in 16 days of a month-long special mosquito eradication drive.
The DNCC imposed a fine of Tk2.21 lakh in seven cases after finding Aedes larvae in several establishments on the 16th day, according to a press release.
Regional executive officers and executive magistrates conducted simultaneous drives in all 10 areas of DNCC.
The drive will be carried out throughout July.
The country has been experiencing a massive rise in Dengue cases in the past few days. Since January of this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recorded 35, 270 dengue cases and 185 deaths across the country.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Source: Dhaka Tribune.