Dengue claims another life in Bangladesh, taking toll this year to 22

Hospitals in Bangladesh have admitted four new dengue patients in a day, taking the tally of infections since Jan 1 to 1,620 after the worst outbreak last year.

The death toll from the mosquito-borne disease increased to 22 with one fatality reported in the daily count published by the Directorate General of Health Services on Saturday.

In the morning, 44 dengue patients were receiving treatment in hospitals in Dhaka. The number was 45 outside the capital.

In 2023, Bangladesh recorded 321,179 hospitalisations and 1,705 deaths from the viral disease and the outbreak has continued this year.

Rising temperatures, along with a lack of effective measures to kill the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the known carrier of the virus, are seen as the reasons behind the deadliest outbreak last year.

Experts say dengue may affect Bangladesh throughout the year from now on, not just in monsoon, if the authorities do not move to prevent the disease.