No new dengue patient hospitalised in last 24hrs: DGHS

No new dengue case was reported in the last 24 hours until 8:00am on Thursday, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

In its regular update, the DGHS noted that currently 29 patients were being treated for dengue – 26 of them in Dhaka, reports UNB.

Bangladesh was hit by a massive outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease last year. An excessive number of patients put a severe strain on the country’s healthcare system. Most of the cases were reported from the overcrowded capital city of Dhaka.

Earlier this month, the government confirmed that dengue had claimed the lives of 164 people last year.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed the number after reviewing 263 out of 266 reports of dengue-related deaths.

Last year, 101,354 people were hospitalised with dengue in the country. Of them, 101,037 made full recovery.

Since the beginning of this year, 152 dengue cases were reported. Of them, 123 had been discharged from hospitals.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection that usually causes severe flu-like symptoms, including high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and a characteristic skin rash.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades that has put about half of the world's population at risk.

The WHO estimates that there are about 390 million infections every year.

According to the WHO, there is no specific treatment for dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1 per cent.