Daily rate of dengue cases rises after Eid holidays

The daily rate of patients hospitalised with dengue has continued to rise across Bangladesh after a slight drop during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.

A total of 1,929 patients afflicted with the mosquito-borne disease were admitted to hospitals around the country in the 24 hours to 8am on Thursday, according to Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS data.
 
Hospitals in Dhaka, the epicentre of the disease, have registered 811 new dengue patients in the last 24 hours, up from 755 the previous.
 
Dengue cases outside Dhaka stands at 1,118 over the same period from 1,125 the previous day.
 
"The number of new patients has risen by 49 on the third day of Eid compared with the day prior. But the number outside Dhaka has come down some what today," Ayesha Akhter, assistant director of DGHS, told bdnews24.com.
 

"We had previously warned that the dengue outbreak will intensify during the months f August and September. But only after monitoring the situation over the next seven to nine days can we say whether the number of dengue patients will increase or not."

But Ayesha believes that the number of dengue cases will decrease due to greater awareness of the disease among the population. 

According to the DGHS, a total of 48,280 dengue-afflicted patients have been hospitalised throughout the country since the beginning of the year until Aug 15. 

Of them, 40,670 were released after treatment but 7,570 remain hospitalised, including 3,910 in Dhaka. 

The figures do not account for those who underwent treatment for the disease at home. 

The government count, which is confirmed through reviews by a committee, has put the death toll at 40. But bdnews24.com has recorded 124 fatal dengue cases reported by doctors and hospitals this year.