10 die from heat strokes in Bangladesh: Health Directorate

This count only includes cases from government hospitals

The heatwave blistering Bangladesh for weeks has left 10 people dead from heat strokes, the Health Directorate says.

However, these numbers only include those who died in government hospitals. Information on deaths in private hospitals, clinics, or outside hospitals has not reached the Health Directorate.

On Tuesday, the Directorate's control room revealed that between Apr 22 and Apr 29, 15 people were affected by heat strokes, with 10 of them succumbing to the condition.

The fatalities occurred across several districts including two in Madaripur, and one each in Chuadanga, Khulna, Habiganj, Rajbari, Jhenaidah, Lalmonirhat, Bandarban, and Chittagong.

The information, based on reports from various Upazilas, district government hospitals, and civil surgeon offices, details the victims of the heat strokes managed by the control room of the Health Directorate.

Professor Dr Md Shahadat Hossain, director of the MIS department of the Directorate, told http://bdnews24.com that they only receive data on patients admitted to government hospitals or those who come for treatment and pass away due to heat strokes.

"Our system only records the data on indoor patients and those who die with symptoms of heat strokes. We do not receive information on those affected or deceased outside of this framework," he added.

The weather office has indicated that the current heatwave, which has persisted for 31 consecutive days, may continue for a few more days.

On Tuesday, temperatures in Chuadanga soared to 43.7 degrees Celsius, marking the second-highest temperature ever recorded in the country.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Dhaka rose to 38.6 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature in Chuadanga the day before was 43 degrees Celsius, while Dhaka experienced 40.5 degrees Celsius.

Though temperatures in Dhaka have slightly decreased, they have risen in Chuadanga and Jessore.

Reports of fatalities due to the heatwave are emerging daily from various parts of Bangladesh, and physicians believe these deaths are caused by heat strokes.